Solid-state imaging element and imaging device

ABSTRACT

The height of a solid-state imaging element is further reduced as compared to the related art. A solid-state imaging element that is a wafer-level chip size package, including: an optical sensor chip; a protective layer that is stacked on a light receiving surface of the optical sensor chip; and a rewiring layer that is stacked on a surface opposite to the light receiving surface of the optical sensor chip, in which a connection terminal of the rewiring layer is a copper flat pad without a solder ball, an alloy layer of tin and copper is not formed on a front surface of the flat pad, and a thermal expansion coefficient of the protective layer is substantially balanced with a thermal expansion coefficient of the rewiring layer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/317,118, filed on May 11, 2021, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/328,717,filed on Feb. 26, 2019, which is a U.S. National Phase of InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/JP2017/028404 filed on Aug. 4, 2017, whichclaims priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. JP2016-192849 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Sep. 30, 2016 and alsoclaims priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. JP2017-069561 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Mar. 31, 2017. Each ofthe above-referenced applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging element and animaging device.

BACKGROUND ART

A solid-state imaging element has been proposed in which a transparentadhesive is applied to all of a light receiving region and a peripheralcircuit region of a light receiving surface and a transparent member isplaced and fixed (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). According to thesolid-state imaging element, for example, it is possible to improvemoisture resistance, to prevent a reduction in strength, to reduce asize and a thickness, to prevent the attachment of a foreign material toa light receiving surface.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2004-207461-   Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2008-270650-   Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2012-175461

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

There is a demand for further reducing the height of a solid-stateimaging element. The solid-state imaging element according to therelated art has room for contrivance to thin each part.

The present technology has been made in view of the above-mentionedproblems and an object of the present technology is to further reducethe height of a solid-state imaging element as compared to the relatedart.

Solutions to Problems

An aspect of the present technology is a solid-state imaging elementthat is a wafer-level chip size package, including: an optical sensorchip; a protective layer that is stacked on a light receiving surface ofthe optical sensor chip; and a rewiring layer that is stacked on asurface opposite to the light receiving surface of the optical sensorchip, in which a connection terminal of the rewiring layer is a copperflat pad without a solder ball, an alloy layer of tin and copper is notformed on a front surface of the flat pad, and a thermal expansioncoefficient of the protective layer is substantially balanced with athermal expansion coefficient of the rewiring layer.

Note that the above-mentioned solid-state imaging element includesvarious aspects, such as an aspect in which the solid-state imagingelement is implemented with being incorporated into other apparatus oran aspect in which the solid-state imaging element is implementedtogether with other methods.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present technology, it is to further reduce the heightof the solid-state imaging element as compared to the related art. Inaddition, the effects described in the specification are illustrativeand are not limited. Additional effects may also be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of asolid-state imaging element according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration ofthe solid-state imaging element according to this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of a pixel.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an AD conversionunit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of thesolid-state imaging element according to this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the solid-stateimaging element.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating still another example of thesolid-state imaging element.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating yet another example of thesolid-state imaging element.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating still yet another example ofthe solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of a method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a process of the method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a solid-state imagingelement according to the related art.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a module using the solid-state imagingelement according to the related art.

FIGS. 30A and 30B are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process in acase where a cover glass is removed from the solid-state imaging elementaccording to the related art.

FIG. 31 is a partial enlarged view illustrating a region FIG. 30A.

FIG. 32 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of thesolid-state imaging element according to this embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to a seventhembodiment.

FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 42 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to an eighthembodiment.

FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 46 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to a ninthembodiment.

FIG. 47 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the ninth embodiment.

FIG. 48 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the ninth embodiment.

FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the ninth embodiment.

FIG. 50 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to a tenthembodiment.

FIG. 51 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the tenth embodiment.

FIG. 52 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the tenth embodiment.

FIG. 53 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to an eleventhembodiment.

FIG. 54 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eleventh embodiment.

FIG. 55 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eleventh embodiment.

FIG. 56 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the eleventh embodiment.

FIG. 57 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to a twelfthembodiment.

FIG. 58 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 59 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 60 is a diagram illustrating the method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element according to the twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 61 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of an in-vivo information acquisition system.

FIG. 62 is a diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of an endoscopic operation system.

FIG. 63 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a camera head and a CCU.

FIG. 64 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of a vehicle control system.

FIG. 65 is a diagram illustrating an example of the installationposition of an out-of-vehicle information detection unit and an imagingunit.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present technology will be described with reference tothe drawings.

(A) First Embodiment of Solid-state Imaging Element:

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of asolid-state imaging element 10 according to this embodiment. Thesolid-state imaging element 10 receives light incident from an object,performs photoelectric conversion, and outputs an electric signalcorresponding to the amount of light. The solid-state imaging element 10is a wafer-level chip size package (WLCSP) formed by a method whichperforms, for example, the formation of terminals and performs wiringbefore a wafer (silicon wafer) is cut and then dices the wafer.

In the solid-state imaging element 10, one layer or a plurality oflayers are formed on each of a front surface 12F and a rear surface 12Rof a semiconductor substrate 12. For example, these layers are formed bya chemical vapor deposition method, a physical vapor deposition method,a coating method, such as a spin coating method, a lithographytechnique, or the adhesion of a support substrate, a peripheral circuitboard, or the like that has been manufactured separately. A color filter11B and an on-chip lens 11A are stacked on the rear surface 12R which isa light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate 12.

A resin layer 15 and an inorganic material layer 16 are stocked on theon-chip lens 11A. A wiring layer 18 is stacked on the front surface 12Fof the semiconductor substrate 12. A rewiring layer 14 is provided onthe front side of the wiring layer 18. In addition, other layers may bestacked and interposed between the layers stacked on each surface of thesemiconductor substrate 12. A semiconductor substrate, such as a siliconwafer, is used as the semiconductor substrate 12.

The type of solid-state imaging element 10 is not particularly limitedand may be a front side illumination type or a backside illuminationtype. Further, the solid-state imaging element 10 may be a complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) type, a charge coupled device (CCD)type, or other types. In a case where the solid-state imaging element isthe front side illumination type, the wiring layer 18 is formed betweenthe semiconductor substrate 12 and the color filter 11B. In addition,hereinafter, an example in which a backside-illumination-type CMOS imagesensor is used as the solid-state imaging element 10 which is the WLCSPwill be described.

In the semiconductor substrate 12, a plurality of photodiodes PD areprovided in parallel as photoelectric conversion elements along the rearsurface 12R in an imaging element region R1. In addition, pixeltransistors (not illustrated) (transfer transistors, reset transistors,amplifying transistors, or select transistors) are provided in thesemiconductor substrate 12 along the front surface 12F in the imagingelement region R1. The pixel transistor is basically provided in eachpixel. However, in the case of a floating diffusion (FD) sharing type inwhich an FD is shared by a plurality of pixels, the transfer transistoris provided in each pixel and the other pixel transistors are providedfor each FD.

The semiconductor substrate 12 is connected to a peripheral circuitthrough pixel driving lines or vertical signal lines which form thewiring layer 18 stacked on the front surface 12F. For example, theperipheral circuit includes some or all of a vertical driving unit 122,an analog-digital conversion unit 123 (AD conversion unit 123), areference signal generation unit 124, a horizontal driving unit 125, acommunication timing control unit 126, and a signal processing unit 127which will be described later. The peripheral circuit is formed in aperipheral circuit region R2 that is provided outside the imagingelement region R1 and/or on a peripheral circuit board which will bedescribed later.

A plurality of color filters 11B are stacked on the rear surface 12R ofthe semiconductor substrate 12 so as to correspond to each position ofthe photodiodes PD. A plurality of on-chip lenses 11A are stacked on thecolor filters 11B so as to correspond to each position of the colorfilters 11B. The on-chip lens 11A is formed using an inorganic film witha high refractive index, such as a silicon nitride film (SiN film), asilicon oxynitride film (SiON film), or a silicon oxide film (SiO film),and can be formed by an etch back method. These films have a refractiveindex of about 1.4 to 2.0.

The resin layer 15 covers the on-chip lenses 11A such that the on-chiplenses 11A are buried and is formed with such a thickness that theon-chip lenses 11A is not exposed to the outside of the resin layer 15.The on-chip lens 11A has a spherical lens 11A2 that is formed on asubstantially flat base portion 11A1 as a hill-shaped swelling. Theresin layer 15 is formed so as to cover all of the base portion 11A1 andthe spherical lens 11A2 without any gap therebetween. For example, in acase where the spherical lens 11A2 is formed at a height of 500 nm fromthe base portion 11A1, the resin layer 15 is formed with a thickness of600 nm or more from the base portion 11A1.

The resin layer 15 is made by using a material having transparency, heatresistance, and the like, for example, a transparent silicone-basedresin, an acryl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, a styrene-basedresin, or the like. The resin layer 15 has a lower refractive index thanthe on-chip lens 11A and has a higher refractive index than an opticaltransmission medium (generally, air) outside the light receiving surfaceof the solid-state imaging element 10. For example, the resin layer 15has a refractive index of about 1.3 to 1.5.

This configuration in which the on-chip lenses 11A are completelycovered with the resin layer 15 and the front surface of the resin layer15 is substantially flat makes it possible to planarize the lightreceiving surface of the solid-state imaging element 10. In addition,since the resin layer 15 is made by using the material that has a lowerrefractive index than the on-chip lens 11A and has a higher refractiveindex than the optical transmission medium outside the light receivingsurface of the solid-state imaging element 10, it is possible to ensurea light focusing performance by the on-chip lens 11A.

The inorganic material layer 16 is provided with a substantiallyconstant thickness along the front surface of the resin layer 15 so asto cover the entire front surface of the resin layer 15. In thisembodiment, the inorganic material layer 16 is located on the outermostsurface of the solid-state imaging element 10 and functions as aprotective film of the solid-state imaging element 10. The materialforming the inorganic material layer 16 is, for example, an inorganicmaterial such as silicon oxide (SiO) or silicon oxynitride (SiON). Theunevenness of the front surface of the on-chip lens 11A is planarized bythe inorganic material layer 16 provided so as to cover the frontsurface of the resin layer 15. Therefore, the cover glass that isprovided on the on-chip lens 11A in the related art is not needed and itis possible to reduce the height of the solid-state imaging element 10.

As described above, the wiring layer 18 is stacked on the front surface12F of the semiconductor substrate 12. In a case where a peripheralcircuit board is separately manufactured and is three-dimensionallystacked on an image sensor so as to be integrated with the image sensor,the peripheral circuit board is bonded to the front side of the wiringlayer 18. A support substrate 17, such as bulk silicon, is bonded to thefront side of the wiring layer 18 or the front side of the peripheralcircuit board.

A through electrode (for example, a through silicon via (TSV)) 13 thatpasses through the support substrate 17 from a front surface 17F (asurface that does not face the semiconductor substrate 12) to a rearsurface 17R is formed in the solid-state imaging element 10. The throughelectrode 13 passes through the support substrate 17, reaches aninput/output pad 19 that is provided in the peripheral circuit regionR2, and electrically connects the front surface 17F of the supportsubstrate 17 and the input/output pad 19. The input/output pad 19 isused as a terminal for inputting and outputting signals from and to theoutside in the peripheral circuit of the solid-state imaging element 10.

The rewiring layer 14 is stacked on the front surface 17F of the supportsubstrate 17. The rewiring layer 14 includes a redistribution wire 14Aas a metal wire that is formed on the front surface 17F of the supportsubstrate 17, a solder resist 14B that covers the redistribution wire14A, and a land 14C which will be a connection terminal of thesolid-state imaging element 10. The redistribution wire 14A electricallyconnects an end portion 13A of the through electrode 13 and the land 14Cprovided on the front surface 17F of the support substrate 17. The land14C is formed at a position corresponding to the connection terminal ofthe substrate which is the mounting destination of the solid-stateimaging element 10. The connection terminal of the substrate isconnected to the land 14C and is connected to the end portion 13A of thethrough electrode 13 through the redistribution wire 14A. The throughelectrode 13 and the redistribution wire 14A are covered and insulatedby the solder resist 14B except the land 14C. In addition, in thisembodiment, a land grid array (LGA) structure is described as anexample. However, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , a solder ball 14D may beformed on the land 14C to form a ball grid array (BGA) structure.Further, a metal post may be vertically provided on the land 14C.

The use of the rewiring layer 14 through the through electrode 13 makesit unnecessary to draw a metal wire (wire) so as to go around the sidesurface of the solid-state imaging element 10. Therefore, the mountingarea of the module is reduced, the number of components is reduced, anda manufacturing process is efficient, for example. In addition, since itis not necessary to draw the metal wire around the side of thesolid-state imaging element, the length of the wire is reduced andelectrical characteristics are improved. In addition, a fine andflexible design is possible. As a result, it is possible to improve thetransmission quality of signals and to improve the quality (for example,quality in image processing) of various kinds of signal processing inthe subsequent stage using an output signal from a module.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration ofthe solid-state imaging element 10. Further, in this embodiment, theCMOS image sensor which is a kind of X-Y-address-type solid-stateimaging device is described as an example of the solid-state imagingdevice. Of course, a CCD image sensor may be used. Next, a specificexample of the solid-state imaging device as the CMOS image sensor willbe described with reference to FIG. 2 .

In FIG. 2 , the solid-state imaging element 10 includes a pixel unit121, the vertical driving unit 122, the AD conversion unit 123, thereference signal generation unit 124, the horizontal driving unit 125,the communication timing control unit 126, and the signal processingunit 127.

In the pixel unit 121, a plurality of pixels PXL, each of which has aphotodiode as a photoelectric conversion unit, are arranged in atwo-dimensional matrix. A color filter array in which the colors offilters are divided in correspondence with each pixel is provided on alight receiving surface side of the pixel unit 121. In addition, thespecific circuit configuration of the pixel PXL will be described later.

In the pixel unit 121, n pixel driving lines HSLn (n=1, 2, . . . ) and mvertical signal lines VSLm (m=1, 2, . . . ) are provided. The pixeldriving lines HSLn are provided along the left-right direction (a pixelarrangement direction of a pixel row/the horizontal direction) of FIG. 2and are arranged at regular intervals in the up-down direction of FIG. 2. The vertical signal lines VSLm are provided along the up-downdirection (a pixel arrangement direction of a pixel column/the verticaldirection) of FIG. 2 and are arranged at regular intervals in theleft-right direction of FIG. 2 .

One end of the pixel driving line HSLn is connected to an outputterminal corresponding to each row of the vertical driving unit 122. Thevertical signal line VSLm is connected to the pixels PXL in each columnand one end of the vertical signal line VSLm is connected to the ADconversion unit 123. The vertical driving unit 122 or the horizontaldriving unit 125 performs a control process of sequentially readinganalog signals from each of the pixels PXL forming the pixel unit 121under the control of the communication timing control unit 126. Inaddition, the detailed connection of the pixel driving lines HSLn andthe vertical signal lines VSLm to each pixel PXL will be described latertogether with the description of the pixel PXL.

The communication timing control unit 126 includes, for example, atiming generator and a communication interface. The timing generatorgenerates various clock signals on the basis of a clock (master clock)that is input from the outside. The communication interface receives,for example, data indicating an operation mode which is given from theoutside of the solid-state imaging element 10 and outputs data includingthe internal information of the solid-state imaging element 10 to theoutside.

The communication timing control unit 126 generates, for example, aclock having the same frequency as the master clock, a clock having afrequency obtained by dividing the frequency of the master clock by 2,and a low-speed clock having a frequency obtained by dividing thefrequency of the master clock by 3 or more on the basis of the masterclock and supplies the clock to each unit (for example, the verticaldriving unit 122, the horizontal driving unit 125, the AD conversionunit 123, the reference signal generation unit 124, and the signalprocessing unit 127) in the device.

The vertical driving unit 122 is formed by, for example, a shiftregister, an address decoder, or the like. The vertical driving unit 122includes a vertical address setting unit that controls a row address onthe basis of a signal obtained by decoding a video signal input from theoutside and a scanning control unit that controls row scanning.

The vertical driving unit 122 can perform read scanning and sweepscanning.

The read scanning is scanning that sequentially selects unit pixels fromwhich a signal is read. Basically, the read scanning is sequentiallyperformed for each row. In a case where the outputs of a plurality ofpixels having a predetermined positional relationship therebetween areadded or added and averaged to thin out the pixels, the read scanning isperformed in a predetermined order.

The sweep scanning is scanning that resets unit pixels belonging to arow or a combination of pixels, from which a signal is read by the readscanning, a period of time corresponding to a shutter speed earlier thanthe read scanning.

The horizontal driving unit 125 sequentially selects each ADC circuitforming the AD conversion unit 123 in synchronization with the clockoutput from the communication timing control unit 126. The AD conversionunit 123 includes the ADC circuits (m=1, 2, . . . ) provided for eachvertical signal line VSLm, converts an analog signal output from eachvertical signal line VSLm into a digital signal, and outputs the digitalsignal to a horizontal signal line Ltrf under the control of thehorizontal driving unit 125.

The horizontal driving unit 125 includes, for example, a horizontaladdress setting unit and a horizontal scanning unit, selects each ADCcircuit of the AD conversion unit 123 which corresponds to thehorizontal read row defined by the horizontal address setting unit, andguides a digital signal generated by the selected ADC circuit to thehorizontal signal line Ltrf.

The digital signal output from the AD conversion unit 123 in this way isinput to the signal processing unit 127 through the horizontal signalline Ltrf. The signal processing unit 127 performs a process ofconverting the signal output from the pixel unit 121 through the ADconversion unit 123 into an image signal corresponding to the colorarrangement of the color filter array, using arithmetic processing.

In addition, the signal processing unit 127 performs, for example, aprocess of adding or adding and averaging the pixel signals in thehorizontal direction or the vertical direction to thin out the pixels ifnecessary. The generated image signal is output to the outside of thesolid-state imaging element 10.

The reference signal generation unit 124 includes a digital-analogconverter (DAC) and generates a reference signal Vramp insynchronization with a count clock supplied from the communicationtiming control unit 126. The reference signal Vramp is a saw-tooth wave(ramp waveform) that changes stepwise over time from an initial valuesupplied from the communication timing control unit 126. The referencesignal Vramp is supplied to each ADC circuit of the AD conversion unit123.

The AD conversion unit 123 includes a plurality of ADC circuits. In acase where an analog voltage output from each pixel PXL is convertedinto a digital voltage, the ADC circuit compares the reference signalVramp with the voltage of the vertical signal line VSLm for apredetermined AD conversion period (a P-phase period or a D-phase periodwhich will be described later) using a comparator and counts a period oftime before or after the magnitude relationship between the referencesignal Vramp and the voltage (pixel voltage) of the vertical signal lineVSLm is inverted. Therefore, it is possible to generate a digital signalcorresponding to an analog pixel voltage. In addition, a specificexample of the AD conversion unit 123 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of the pixel.FIG. 3 illustrates an equivalent circuit of a pixel having a general4-transistor configuration. The pixel illustrated in FIG. 3 includes aphotodiode PD and four transistors (a transfer transistor TR1, a resettransistor TR2, an amplifying transistor TR3, and a select transistorTR4).

The photodiode PD generates a current corresponding to the amount oflight received, using photoelectric conversion. An anode of thephotodiode PD is connected to the ground and a cathode of the photodiodePD is connected to a drain of the transfer transistor TR1.

Various control signals are input from various drivers or a reset signalgeneration circuit of the vertical driving unit 122 to the pixel PXLthrough signal lines Ltrg, Lrst, and Lsel.

The signal line Ltrg for transmitting a transfer gate signal isconnected to a gate of the transfer transistor TR1. A source of thetransfer transistor TR1 is connected to a connection point between asource of the reset transistor TR2 and a gate of the amplifyingtransistor TR3. The connection point forms the floating diffusion FDwhich is a capacitor accumulating signal charge.

In a case where a transfer signal is input to the gate of the transfertransistor TR1 through the signal line Ltrg, the transfer transistor TR1is turned on and transfers the signal charge (here, photoelectrons)accumulated by the photoelectric conversion of the photodiode PD to thefloating diffusion FD.

The signal line Lrst for transmitting a reset signal is connected to agate of the reset transistor TR2 and a constant voltage source VDD isconnected to a drain of the reset transistor TR2. In a case where thereset signal is input to the gate of the reset transistor TR2 throughthe signal line Lrst, the reset transistor TR2 is turned on and resetsthe floating diffusion FD to the voltage of the constant voltage sourceVDD. On the other hand, in a case where the reset signal is not input tothe gate through the signal line Lrst, the reset transistor TR2 isturned off and forms a predetermined potential barrier between thefloating diffusion FD and the constant voltage source VDD.

The amplifying transistor TR3 has the gate that is connected to thefloating diffusion FD, a drain that is connected to the constant voltagesource VDD, and a source that is connected to a drain of the selecttransistor TR4 and forms a source follower.

The signal line Lsel for a select signal is connected to a gate of theselect transistor TR4 and a source of the select transistor TR4 isconnected to the vertical signal line VSLm. In a case where a controlsignal (an address signal or a select signal) is input to the gate ofthe select transistor TR4 through the signal line Lsel, the selecttransistor TR4 is turned on. In a case where the control signal is notinput to the gate through the signal line Lsel, the select transistorTR4 is turned off.

In a case where the select transistor TR4 is turned on, the amplifyingtransistor TR3 amplifies the voltage of the floating diffusion FD andoutputs the voltage to the vertical signal line VSLm. The voltage outputfrom each pixel through the vertical signal line VSLm is input to the ADconversion unit 123.

In addition, the circuit configuration of the pixel is not limited tothe configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 and various knownconfigurations, such as a 3-transistor configuration and a 4-transistorconfiguration, can be used. An example of the 4-transistor configurationis a configuration in which the select transistor TR4 is providedbetween the amplifying transistor TR3 and the constant voltage sourceVDD.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the AD conversionunit 123. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , each of the ADC circuits formingthe AD conversion unit 123 includes a comparator 123 a and a counter 123b which are provided for each vertical signal line VSLm and a latch 123c.

The comparator 123 a includes two input terminals T1 and T2 and oneoutput terminal T3. The reference signal Vramp is input from thereference signal generation unit 124 to one input terminal T1 and ananalog pixel signal (hereinafter, referred to as a pixel signal Vvsl)output from the pixel through the vertical signal line VSLm is input tothe other input terminal T2.

The comparator 123 a compares the reference signal Vramp with the pixelsignal Vvsl. The comparator 123 a outputs a high-level signal or alow-level signal according to the magnitude relationship between thereference signal Vramp and the pixel signal Vvsl. In a case where themagnitude relationship between the reference signal Vramp and the pixelsignal Vvsl is changed, the output of the output terminal T3 is invertedbetween a high level and a low level.

The counter 123 b is supplied with the clock from the communicationtiming control unit 126 and counts the time from the start to the end ofAD conversion, using the clock. The start timing and the end timing ofAD conversion are specified on the basis of the control signal (forexample, whether or not the clock signal CLK is input, or the like)output from the communication timing control unit 126 and the inversionof the output of the comparator 123 a.

In addition, the counter 123 b performs A/D conversion for the pixelsignal, using so-called correlated double sampling (CDS). Specifically,the counter 123 b performs down counting while an analog signalcorresponding to a reset component is being output from the verticalsignal line VSLm under the control of the communication timing controlunit 126. Then, the counter 123 b performs up counting, using a countvalue obtained by the down counting as an initial value, while an analogsignal corresponding to the pixel signal is being output from thevertical signal line VSLm.

The generated count value becomes a digital value corresponding to thedifference between the signal component and the reset component. Thatis, the count value is a value obtained by calibrating a digital valuecorresponding to the analog pixel signal which is input from the pixelto the AD conversion unit 123 through the vertical signal line VSLm withthe reset component.

The digital value generated by the counter 123 b is stored in the latch123 c. The digital value is sequentially output from the latch 123 c tothe signal processing unit 127 through the horizontal signal line Ltrfunder the control of the horizontal scanning unit.

(B) Second Embodiment of Solid-state Imaging Element:

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of asolid-state imaging element 20 according to this embodiment. Thesolid-state imaging element 20 differs from the solid-state imagingelement 10 in that it includes a plurality of inorganic material layers21 instead of the single inorganic material layer 16. As the pluralityof inorganic material layers 21, an oxide other than a Si-based oxideand the Si-based oxide are stacked. For example, a TaO layer 21A, a SiO2layer 21B, a TaO layer 21C, and a SiO layer 21D are sequentially stackedon the resin layer 15.

For the thickness of each of the plurality of inorganic material layers21, for example, the thickness of the TaO layer 21A is 15 nm, thethickness of the SiO2 layer 21B is 32 nm, the thickness of the TaO layer21C is 127 nm, and the thickness of the SiO layer 21D is 91 nm. Each ofthe plurality of inorganic material layers 21 can be formed by variousmethods, such as a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a spincoating (application) method, a laminate (film bonding) method, and adispensing (dropping) method.

In a case where each of the plurality of inorganic material layers 21 isformed by the sputtering method, for example, each layer is formed byusing a sputtering apparatus in which the distance between a target anda substrate is 10 cm to 4 cm, using a metal target, such as Ta, Nb, orSi, introducing sputtering gas (inert gas such as Ar) and reactive gas(active gas such as O2) into a chamber, performing discharge using a DCpower supply or a DC pulse power supply. It is preferable that the flowrate of the sputtering gas is 10 sccm to 200 sccm and the flow rate ofthe active gas is 10 sccm to 100 sccm. It is desirable that pressure is0.1 Pa to 1 Pa at the time of deposition. At the time of deposition, theflow rate of the active gas is adjusted such that a desired refractiveindex and a desired extinction coefficient are obtained in each of theplurality of inorganic material layers 21.

Since the plurality of inorganic material layers 21 function as anantireflection film, the effects of preventing flare and ghost,increasing the amount of transmitted light, removing unnecessary light,and reducing noise are obtained, for example.

(C) Third Embodiment of Solid-state Imaging Element:

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of asolid-state imaging element 30 according to this embodiment. Thesolid-state imaging element 30 differs from the solid-state imagingelement 10 in that it includes a plurality of inorganic material layers31 instead of the single inorganic material layer 16. As the pluralityof inorganic material layers 31, oxide layers including materials otherthan a Si-based material and Si-based oxide layers are stacked. Forexample, a NbO layer 31A and a SiO layer 31B are sequentially stacked onthe resin layer 15.

For the thickness of each of the plurality of inorganic material layers31, for example, the thickness of the NbO layer 31A is 250 nm and thethickness of the SiO layer 31B is 250 nm. Each of the plurality ofinorganic material layers 31 can be formed by various methods, such as asputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a spin coating(application) method, a laminating (film bonding) method, and adispensing (dropping) method.

In a case where each of the plurality of inorganic material layers 31 isformed by the sputtering method, for example, each layer is formed byusing a sputtering apparatus in which the distance between a target anda substrate is 10 cm to 4 cm, using a metal target, such as Nb or Si,introducing sputtering gas (inert gas such as Ar) and reactive gas(active gas such as O2) into a chamber, performing discharge using a DCpower supply or a DC pulse power supply. It is preferable that the flowrate of the sputtering gas is 10 sccm to 200 sccm and the flow rate ofthe active gas is 10 sccm to 100 sccm. It is desirable that pressure is0.1 Pa to 1 Pa at the time of deposition. At the time of deposition, theflow rate of the active gas is adjusted such that a desired refractiveindex and a desired extinction coefficient are obtained in each of theplurality of inorganic material layers 31.

Since the plurality of inorganic material layers 31 function as anantireflection film, the effects of preventing flare and ghost,increasing the amount of transmitted light, removing unnecessary light,and reducing noise are obtained, for example.

In addition, instead of the plurality of inorganic material layers 21according to the second embodiment or the plurality of inorganicmaterial layers 31 according to the third embodiment, a coating-typeantireflection film which is made by using a material obtained bydissolving polysiloxane containing about 1% to 10% silica particles inan organic solvent may be provided.

(D) Fourth Embodiment of Solid-state Imaging Element:

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams schematically illustrating theconfiguration of solid-state imaging elements 40 and 40′ according tothis embodiment. In (a), the solid-state imaging element 40 differs fromthe solid-state imaging element 10 in that an IR cut film 41 as anoptical functional filter (for example, an infrared cut filter) isformed instead of the inorganic material layer 16. Further, in (b), thesolid-state imaging element 40′ differs from the solid-state imagingelement 10 in that the IR cut film 41 as the optical functional filter(for example, an infrared cut filter) is formed on the inorganicmaterial layer 16.

The IR cut film 41 reduces the number of infrared light componentsincluded in incident light and prevents infrared light from beingincident on the solid-state imaging elements 40 and 40′. For example, anIR cut filter formed by applying a metal complex material, such as acopper complex, using a coating method, such as a spin coating method,can be used as the IR cut film 41. Further, for example, a stacked filmobtained by alternately stacking a plurality of TiO layers with athickness of about 100 nm and SiO2 layers with a thickness of about 100nm (for example, 30 to 100 layers) using a sputtering method, a vapordeposition method, a dispensing method, or the like may be used as theIR cut film 41.

For example, the IR cut film 41 may have a structure in which twolayers, that is, a short IR cut film and a long IR cut film are stackedor a plurality of short IR cut films and long IR cut films are stacked.The short IR cut film and the long IR cut film have different wavelengthbands (light shielding bands) for shielding infrared light. In the lightshielding band of the short IR cut film, the short IR cut film cuts ashorter wavelength band than the long IR cut film. In the lightshielding band of the long IR cut film, the long IR cut film cuts alonger wavelength band than the short IR cut film. In addition, thelight shielding band of the short IR cut film and the light shieldingband of the long IR cut film may partially overlap each other.

As such, since the IR cut films having different light shielding bandsare stacked and the wavelength band to be shielded is divided, the lightshielding performance is improved.

(E) Fifth Embodiment of Solid-state Imaging Element:

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams schematically illustrating theconfiguration of solid-state imaging elements 50 and 50′ according tothis embodiment. In (a), the solid-state imaging element 50 differs fromthe solid-state imaging element 10 in that a grating structurefunctioning as a diffraction grating is formed instead of the inorganicmaterial layer 16. Further, in (b), the solid-state imaging element 50′differs from the solid-state imaging element 10 in that a similargrating structure is formed on the inorganic material layer 16.

Specifically, a grating structure of a sub-wavelength grating which hasa fine uneven structure with a sub-micron period shorter than a lightwavelength sensed by the solid-state imaging elements 50 and 50′ isformed on an upper surface of a transparent resin film 51. An example ofthe grating structure is a Moth-eye (registered trademark) structure inwhich conical projections are two-dimensionally periodically arranged.Therefore, in the front surfaces of the solid-state imaging elements 50and 50′, a structure which has a refractive index that changescontinuously and does not have a specific reflecting surface is achievedand it possible to achieve a polarizing filter that reduces Fresnelreflection generated at a refractive index boundary.

(G) Method for Manufacturing Solid-state Imaging Element

FIGS. 10 to 26 are diagrams illustrating an example of a method formanufacturing the solid-state imaging element. Hereinafter, thesolid-state imaging element 10 will be described as an example. However,the method can be applied to the solid-state imaging element having theinorganic material layer 21, the inorganic material layer 31, the IR cutfilm 41, the grating structure formed on the transparent resin film 51,or a light shielding film 62 formed on a transparent resin film 61instead of the inorganic material layer 16.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , components (for example, elementseparation, the photodiode PD, and a source region/drain region of thepixel transistor) of a plurality of unit pixels 11 are formed in atwo-dimensional matrix in the imaging element region R1 of thesemiconductor substrate 12 from the front surface 12F of thesemiconductor substrate 12 so as to be two-dimensionally arranged by,for example, ion implantation. In addition, FIG. 10 illustrates only thephotodiode PD. A gate electrode is stacked on each unit pixel 11, with agate insulating film interposed therebetween.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , the wiring layer 18, in which aplurality of wiring layers are provided with interlayer insulating filmsinterposed therebetween, is stacked on the front surface 12F of thesemiconductor substrate 12. The wiring layer 18 that is formed outsidethe imaging element region R1 becomes the peripheral circuit region R2in which a peripheral circuit, such as a logic circuit, is formed. Aninput/output pad 19 as PAD metal for outputting a signal to the outsideof a chip is provided in the wiring layer 18 in the peripheral circuitregion R2. An interlayer insulating film, such as a SiO2 film, isstacked on the wiring layer 18. The interlayer insulating film isplanarized by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) such that the frontsurface of the wiring layer 18 is formed as a substantially flatsurface.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the support substrate 17 is bonded to thesubstantially flat surface of the wiring layer 18 for reinforcement. Forexample, a semiconductor substrate, such as bulk silicon, is used as thesupport substrate 17. In addition, in a case where some or all of theperipheral circuits are formed on a peripheral circuit board that isseparately manufactured, the peripheral circuit board is bonded to thefront surface of the wiring layer 18 and the support substrate 17 isbonded to the upper surface of the peripheral circuit board.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 13 , the semiconductor substrate 12 havingthe support substrate 17 bonded thereto is reversed such that the rearsurface 12R of the semiconductor substrate 12 is an upper surface.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 14 , the semiconductor substrate 12 isremoved to the vicinity of the rear surface of the photodiode PD fromthe rear surface 12R by grinding and polishing, if necessary. Finally,the rear surface 12R of the semiconductor substrate 12 is processed byCMP so as to be substantially flat. In addition, the final processingmay also be performed by etching.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , a transparent planarizing film (notillustrated) and the color filters 11B are formed on the rear surface12R of the semiconductor substrate 12. For example, the planarizing filmis formed by forming a thermoplastic resin film using a spin coatingmethod and performing a thermal curing process for the thermoplasticresin film. As primary color filters including green, red, and bluefilters, for example, the color filters 11B that are arranged in a Bayerarray are formed on the planarizing film. The color filters 11B areformed so as to correspond to each unit pixel 11 and include colorfilters of three colors, that is, a red filter, a green filter, and ablue filter. The colors of the color filters 11B are not limited tothree primary colors of light. For example, it is possible to usefilters of complementary colors or a combination of a white color filterand the color filters. The planarizing film may be further provided onthe upper surface of the color filter 11B if necessary.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 16 , the on-chip lens 11A is formed on thecolor filter 11B. The on-chip lens 11A is formed by, for example, amethod which deposits a thermosetting transparent resin material, suchas an acryl-based resin material, a styrene-based resin material, or anepoxy-based resin material, using spin coating, cures the thermosettingtransparent resin material, forms a resist by depositing an inorganicmaterial, such as SiO, SiN, or SiON, using a plasma CVD method,processes the resist into a lens shape, patterns the resist, andperforms etching.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 17 , the resin layer 15 having a lowerrefractive index than the on-chip lens 11A is formed with a sufficientthickness to cover the entire uneven shape of the on-chip lenses 11Asuch that the on-chip lenses 11A are buried above the rear surface 12Rof the semiconductor substrate 12, above which the on-chip lenses 11Aare formed, over the imaging element region R1 and the peripheralcircuit region R2. The resin layer 15 is formed so as to come into closecontact with the entire uneven surface of a layer below the resin layer15, such as the uneven surface of the on-chip lens 11A. Therefore, alayer boundary between the resin layer 15 with a low refractive indexand the on-chip lens 11A with a high refractive index is formed betweenthe on-chip lens 11A and the resin layer 15. The resin layer 15 isformed, for example, by applying a resin material using a spin coatingmethod to form a film.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 18 , the inorganic material layer 16 isstacked on the resin layer 15. The inorganic material layer 16 is formedwith a substantially constant thickness over the imaging element regionR1 and the peripheral circuit region R2 so as to cover the entire uppersurface of the resin layer 15. Therefore, the upper surface of theinorganic material layer 16 is formed so as to be substantially flatwithout any unevenness or the like. As a result, the possibility thatthe characteristics of incident light on the rear surface 12R which isthe light receiving surface of the semiconductor substrate 12 willdeteriorate can be reduced as much as possible by the inorganic materiallayer 16. The inorganic material layer 16 can be formed by, for example,a SiO2 or SiN plasma CVD method.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 19 , a through hole 70 that passes throughthe inorganic material layer 16, the resin layer 15, and thesemiconductor substrate 12 and reaches the input/output pad 19 formed inthe wiring layer or on the peripheral circuit board is formed in theperipheral circuit region R2 outside the imaging element region R1 by,for example, dry etching. A probe is inserted into the through hole 70and comes into contact with the input/output pad 19 to perform a test,such as the checking of the operation of a peripheral circuit.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 20 , an adhesive layer 101 is formed on theupper surface of the inorganic material layer 16. For example, theadhesive layer 101 is formed by applying an adhesive material using aspin coating method to form a film. The adhesive material enters thethrough hole 70 such that the through hole 70 is filled with theadhesive material and is solidified. That is, a portion of the adhesivematerial that is applied onto the upper surface of the inorganicmaterial layer 16, bonds the inorganic material layer 16 and a temporarysubstrate 102 which will be described later, and is solidified has aprojection shape that protrudes toward the inside of the through hole70.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 21 , the temporary substrate 102 is bondedto the inorganic material layer 16 through the adhesive layer 101. Sincethe temporary substrate 102 is bonded to the inorganic material layer16, the solid-state imaging element 10 that is being manufactured isreinforced, the rigidity of the entire solid-state imaging element 10 isimproved, and resistance to warpage and bending is improved. Thesemiconductor substrate 12 or the support substrate 17 reinforced by thetemporary substrate 102 is reversed such that a front surface 17F of thesupport substrate 17 faces upward. Therefore, it is possible to performa process of forming the rewiring layer 14 on the front surface 17F ofthe support substrate 17.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 22 , the support substrate 17 is ground andpolished by, for example, back grinding or CMP from the front surface17F and is thinned. Therefore, it is easy to perform a process offorming the through electrode 13 which will be described later and it ispossible to reduce the overall height of the solid-state imaging element10.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 23 , the rewiring layer 14 is formed on thefront surface 17F of the thinned support substrate 17. In the formationof the rewiring layer 14, first, a through hole that passes through thesupport substrate 17 and reaches the input/output pad 19 is formed.Then, the through hole is filled with metal such as Cu plating to formthe through electrode 13. In addition, the land 14C and theredistribution wire 14A are formed on the front surface 17F of thesupport substrate 17 by photolithography technique. Then, a portionother than the land 14C is covered by the solder resist 14B to insulatethe redistribution wire 14A and the through electrode 13. The solderball 14D (see FIG. 5 ) may be formed on the land 14C to form a BGAstructure. In addition, a metal post 14E, specifically, a Cu post may beformed on the redistribution wire by electrolytic plating or electrolessplating (see FIG. 32 ). Further, Ni/Au plating may be performed on thefront surface of the Cu land to prevent oxidation. Furthermore, theconnection destination of the through electrode 13 may be a wire that isused as a terminal for inputting and outputting signals from and to theoutside in the peripheral circuit of the solid-state imaging element 10and may be a portion other than the input/output pad 19.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 24 , a dicing frame 103 is bonded to afront surface 14F of the rewiring layer 14 and the entire structure isreversed. Then, the temporary substrate 102 faces upward again.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 25 , debonding is performed to peel thetemporary substrate 102 from the solid-state imaging element 10(inorganic material layer 16) and the adhesive layer 101 that remains onthe front surface of the inorganic material layer 16 is dissolved withan organic solvent or is chemically removed by a chemical etchingmethod. Examples of the debonding include mechanical debonding,debonding by laser emission, and debonding by heat blow. In this way,the inorganic material layer 16 is exposed. Since the inorganic materiallayer 16 is formed such that the front surface is flat, the possibilitythat the adhesive material bonded to the front surface of the inorganicmaterial layer 16 will remain after etching is very low and it ispossible to prevent a reduction in the yield of the solid-state imagingelement 10 due to the fixation of the adhesive material after debondingto the front surface of the solid-state imaging element 10.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 26 , any one of the IR cut film 41, thetransparent resin film 51, and the transparent resin film 61 is formedon the inorganic material layer 16. In addition, a grating structurethat functions as a diffraction grating formed in the transparent resinfilm 51 or 61 or the IR cut film 41 can be formed on the exposedinorganic material layer 16.

An IR cut filter formed by applying a metal complex material, such as acopper complex, using a coating method, such as a spin coating method,can be used as the IR cut film 41. Further, for example, a stacked filmobtained by alternately stacking a plurality of TiO layers with athickness of about 100 nm and SiO2 layers with a thickness of about 100nm (for example, 30 to 100 layers) using a sputtering method, a vapordeposition method, a dispensing method, or the like may be used as theIR cut film 41. This is similar to the fourth embodiment.

An example of the grating structure formed in the transparent resin film51 or 61 is the Moth-eye (registered trademark) structure in whichconical projections are two-dimensionally and periodically arranged.This is similar to the fifth embodiment or the sixth embodiment.

Finally, the solid-state imaging element 10 is diced into pieces alongscribe lines to obtain the solid-state imaging elements 10, 20, 30, 40,40′, 50, 50′, 60, and 60′ according to each of the above-describedembodiments.

As described above, the solid-state imaging element 10 can be protectedeven in a case where the temporary substrate 102 that maintains thestrength of the solid-state imaging element 10 and protects thesolid-state imaging element 10 is bonded and, finally, the temporarysubstrate 102 is peeled off to expose the inorganic material layer 16 atthe time of manufacture.

In addition, since the inorganic material layer 16 which is theoutermost layer is planarized, there is no residue in a case where thetemporary substrate 102 is peeled off. Even in a case where a foreignmaterial is attached to the inorganic material layer 16, the foreignmaterial can be easily wiped off and removed. In contrast, in a casewhere the outermost layer is not planarized, the upper side of theoutermost layer needs to be protected by a cover glass. In addition,assembly needs to be performed in a clean environment, such as a cleanroom, even after the cover glass is removed. In contrast, in the presenttechnology, even in a case where a foreign material is attached, it ispossible to simply wide off and remove the foreign material. Therefore,a module can be assembled in a normal environment, not in a cleanenvironment such as a clean room.

(H) Embodiment of Imaging Device:

FIG. 27 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof an example of an imaging device 600 provided with an imaging module500. The imaging device 600 is, for example, a digital still camera, adigital video camera, or a mobile phone with a camera.

The imaging device 600 includes the imaging module 500, a camera signalcontrol unit 610, an image processing unit 620, a display unit 630, areader/writer 640, an arithmetic processing unit 650, an operation inputunit 660, and a lens driving control unit 670.

The imaging module 500 is a component with an imaging function andincludes an optical system 530 that includes a lens 511 as an imaginglens and a solid-state imaging element 540 as the solid-state imagingelement according to any one of the first to sixth embodiments or asolid-state imaging element according to any one of seventh to twelfthembodiments which will be described later. The solid-state imagingelement 540 converts an optical image formed by the optical system 530into an electric signal and outputs an imaging signal (image signal)corresponding to the optical image.

The camera signal control unit 610 performs various types of signalprocessing, such as analog/digital conversion, noise removal, imagequality correction, and conversion into brightness and color differencesignals, for the image signal output from the solid-state imagingelement 540.

The image processing unit 620 performs a process of recording andreproducing the image signal and performs, for example, a compressionencoding/decompression decoding process for the image signal based on apredetermined image data format and a conversion processing for dataspecification such as resolution.

The display unit 630 has a function of displaying various types of data,such as data corresponding to an operation input to the operation inputunit 660 and a captured image.

The reader/writer 640 writes data to an external storage medium, such asa memory card, and reads data from the external storage medium. Forexample, the reader/writer 640 writes image data encoded by the imageprocessing unit 620 to the external storage medium or reads image datastored in the external storage medium and outputs the read image data tothe image processing unit 620.

The arithmetic processing unit 650 is a component functioning as acontrol unit that controls each circuit block of the imaging device 600and controls each circuit block on the basis of, for example, anoperation input signal from the operation input unit 660. A driver ofthe module 500 controls, for example, a driving motor for driving thelens 511 on the basis of a control signal from the arithmetic processingunit 650.

The operation input unit 660 includes, for example, a switch and a touchpanel that is used by a user to perform a necessary operation. Forexample, the operation input unit 660 includes a shutter releaseoperation element for performing a shutter operation, a selectionoperation element for selecting an operation mode, and the like, andoutputs an operation input signal corresponding to an operation input bythe user to the arithmetic processing unit 650.

(I) Seventh Embodiment:

FIG. 33 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element according to thisembodiment. A solid-state imaging element 700 receives light incidentfrom an object, performs photoelectric conversion, and outputs anelectric signal corresponding to the amount of light. The solid-stateimaging element 700 is a wafer-level chip size package (WLCSP) formed bya method which performs, for example, the formation of terminals andwiring before a wafer (silicon wafer) is cut and then dices the wafer.

In the solid-state imaging element 700, one layer or a plurality oflayers are formed on each of a front surface 710F and a rear surface710R of an image sensor main body portion 710 as an optical sensor chip.For example, these layers are formed by a chemical vapor depositionmethod, a physical vapor deposition method, a coating method, such as aspin coating method, a lithography technique, or the adhesion of asupport substrate, a peripheral circuit board, or the like that has beenmanufactured separately.

The image sensor main body portion 710 is at least a stacked structureof a light receiving layer obtained by providing a plurality ofphotodiodes as photoelectric conversion elements in parallel on asemiconductor substrate, such as a silicon wafer or the like, and awiring layer including, for example, a pixel driving line and a verticalsignal line. In this embodiment, a backside-illumination-type CMOS imagesensor is described as an example. A surface on the light receivinglayer side is referred to as a rear surface and a surface on the wiringlayer side is referred to as a front surface.

In addition, the type of image sensor main body portion 710 is notparticularly limited and the image sensor main body portion 710 may be afront side illumination type or a backside illumination type. Further,the image sensor main body portion 710 be a complementary metal oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) type, a charge coupled device (CCD) type, or othertypes. In a case where the image sensor main body portion 710 is thefront side illumination type, the order in which the light receivinglayer and the wiring layer are stacked is reversed and the expression ofthe front and rear sides is reversed.

Another substrate 720 is bonded to the front surface 710F of the imagesensor main body portion 710. Examples of the substrate 720 include aperipheral circuit board on which some peripheral circuits separatelymanufactured are three-dimensionally stacked and a support substratethat reinforces the image sensor main body portion 710.

A rewiring layer 730 is formed on the front surface 700F of thesolid-state imaging element 700. The rewiring layer 730 includes a pad731 that is formed on the front surface of the image sensor main bodyportion 710 or a front surface of the substrate 720 and a redistributionwire 732 that connects a terminal and the pad 731 which are exposed fromthe same surface. The pad 731 is formed at a position corresponding to aconnection terminal of a substrate on which the solid-state imagingelement 700 is to be mounted. A through electrode 721 passes through thesubstrate 720 and has one end connected to the pad 711 in the imagesensor main body portion 710 and the other end. The other end isillustrated as the terminal exposed from the front surface in FIG. 33 .

The solid-state imaging element 700 has a flat pad structure in which nosolder balls are provided on the pad 731. That is, the solid-stateimaging element 700 does not pass through a process of mounting a solderball on the pad 731 and melting the solder ball using a thermal process,such as reflow, into a hemispherical shape. Therefore, an alloy layer oftin and copper is not formed on the surface of the pad 731 of thesolid-state imaging element 700 according to this embodiment at the timeof the completion of the solid-state imaging element 700.

Since an alloy layer is not formed on the front surface of the pad 731at the time of completion, the pad 731 can be formed with a thicknessthat is smaller than that in the related art. Specifically, in therelated art, the pad is formed with a thickness of 5 μm to 10 μm.However, the pad 731 can be formed with a thickness of 5 μm or less(except 0) and can be preferably formed with a thickness of 1 μm to 2 μmor less. That is, it is possible to suppress the thickness of therewiring layer 730 that is made by using copper (with a linear expansioncoefficient of about 18 ppm/K) having a larger thermal expansioncoefficient than a semiconductor substrate (in the case of the siliconsubstrate, a linear expansion coefficient is about 3 ppm/K) of the imagesensor main body portion 710, a silicon insulating layer (a linearexpansion coefficient is about 0.5 ppm/K to 0.6 ppm/K in the case ofsilicon oxide and is about 3 ppm/K in the case of silicon nitride) ofthe wiring layer, or the like.

In addition, a solder mask (a linear expansion coefficient is 20 ppm/Kto 60 ppm/K) is not formed on the rewiring layer 730 of the solid-stateimaging element 700 according to this embodiment. Therefore, in thefront surface 700F of the solid-state imaging element 700, thermalexpansion by the rewiring layer 730 made by using copper is reduced andthermal expansion by the solder mask does not occur. Therefore, it ispossible to remove most of the warping factors caused by the layerprovided on the front surface 700F of the solid-state imaging element700.

In the solid-state imaging element 700, a color filter 741 and anon-chip lens 742 are sequentially stacked on the rear surface 710R whichis a light receiving surface of the image sensor main body portion 710.A transparent resin layer 743 is stacked on the on-chip lens 742. Inaddition, other layers may be interposed between the layers of thesolid-state imaging element 700.

The transparent resin layer 743 covers the on-chip lenses 742 such thatthe on-chip lenses 742 are buried and is formed with such a thicknessthat the on-chip lenses 742 is not exposed to the outside of thetransparent resin layer 743. The surface of the transparent resin layer743 is substantially flat. The on-chip lens 742 has a spherical lensthat is formed on a substantially flat base portion as a hill-shapeswelling. The transparent resin layer 743 is formed so as to cover allof the base portion and the spherical lens without any gap therebetween.

The transparent resin layer 743 is made by using a material havingtransparency, heat resistance, and the like, for example, a transparentsilicone-based resin, an acryl-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, astyrene-based resin, or the like. The transparent resin layer 743 has alower refractive index than the on-chip lens 742 and has a higherrefractive index than an optical transmission medium (generally, air)outside the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging element700. For example, the transparent resin layer 743 has a refractive indexof about 1.3 to 1.5.

Since the on-chip lenses 742 are completely covered with the transparentresin layer 743 and the front surface of the transparent resin layer 743is substantially flat, it is possible to planarize the light receivingsurface of the solid-state imaging element 700. In addition, since thetransparent resin layer 743 is made by using the material that has alower refractive index than the on-chip lens 742 and has a higherrefractive index than the optical transmission medium outside the lightreceiving surface of the solid-state imaging element 700, it is possibleto ensure a light focusing performance by the on-chip lens 742.

In this embodiment, a glass substrate is not stacked on the rear surface700R of the solid-state imaging element 700 and only the transparentresin layer 743 is formed as a protective layer on the rear surface700R. The various linear expansion coefficient of the glass substrate orthe transparent resin layer 743 can be appropriately selected fromvarious values. Since the warping factors of the front surface 700F ofthe solid-state imaging element 700 are removed, it is possible toreduce the thickness of the transparent resin layer 743 to a sufficientvalue to cover the on-chip lenses 742 and to planarize the frontsurface.

As described above, in the solid-state imaging element 700 according tothis embodiment, for the rear surface 700R, the thickness of therewiring layer 730 is less than that in the related art and a soldermask and a solder ball are not provided. For the front surface 700F,glass is not provided and only the transparent resin layer 743 with athickness that is equal to about α+the thickness of the color filter 741and the on-chip lens 742 is formed. In addition, the thickness of therewiring layer 730 on the front surface 700F and the thickness of thetransparent resin layer 743 on the rear surface 700R are selected suchthat the thermal expansion of the rewiring layer 730 and the thermalexpansion of the transparent resin layer 743 are substantially balanced.Further, since no solder balls are provided, the necessary thickness ofthe rewiring layer 730 is significantly reduced. Therefore, the heightof the solid-state imaging element 700 is significantly reduced and itis possible to achieve a structure in which warpage is less likely tooccur even in a case where a thermal process is performed.

FIGS. 34 to 41 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 700. Hereinafter, a process of providing thetransparent resin layer 743 or the rewiring layer 730 on the imagesensor main body portion 710 (FIG. 34 ), on which the color filter 741and the on-chip lens 742, have been stacked will be described. Note thatthe image sensor main body portion 710 in the state illustrated in FIG.34 can be manufactured by various known manufacturing methods. At thattime, it is assumed that a plurality of image sensor main body portions710 before division are formed on one semiconductor substrate in atwo-dimensional matrix.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 35 , a temporary bonding resin 750 isapplied on the rear surface 710R of the image sensor main body portion710. The temporary bonding resin 750 is applied in a shape (for example,a rectangular shape) that surrounds a light receiving portion (a rangein which color filters, on-chip lenses, and photodiodes are formed) andis applied in a thickness direction of the image sensor main bodyportion 710 so as to be deposited with a thickness D1 equal to orgreater than a predetermined value. In the rear surface 710R of theimage sensor main body portion 710 on which a plurality of lightreceiving portions are formed, the temporary bonding resin 750 isapplied in a lattice shape in which a plurality of rectangular framesare continuous.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 36 , a temporary substrate 760 (forexample, a glass substrate) is placed on an upper surface of thetemporary bonding resin 750 and is attached to the temporary bondingresin 750. In this state, the temporary bonding resin 750 is cured. In acase where the thickness of the cured temporary bonding resin 750 is D2and the total thickness of the color filter 741 and the on-chip lens 742from the upper surface of the image sensor main body portion 710 is D0,D0<D1 and D0<D2 are satisfied.

In a case where the temporary bonding resin 750 is cured, the temporarysubstrate 760 is held in a state in which a substrate surface issubstantially parallel to the front surface 710F and the rear surface710R of the image sensor main body portion 710 and is separated from theon-chip lenses 742 and is fixed to the image sensor main body portion710 by the cured temporary bonding resin. Therefore, a light receivingportion of the image sensor main body portion 710 is sealed in a cavityformed by the temporary bonding resin 750, the temporary substrate 760,and the image sensor main body portion 710.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 37 , the entire image sensor main bodyportion 710 reinforced by the temporary substrate 760 is reversed suchthat the front surface 710F of the image sensor main body portion 710faces upward. In this state, another substrate 720′ is bonded to thefront surface 710F of the image sensor main body portion 710 and athrough electrode 721 and a rewiring layer 730 are formed. The throughelectrode 721 is formed by forming a through hole that passes throughthe substrate 720′ and reaches the pad 711 provided in the image sensormain body portion 710 and filling the through hole with metal using, forexample, Cu plating. A pad 731 and a redistribution wire 732 of therewiring layer 730 are formed on a front surface 720′F of the substrate720′ by, for example, a photolithography technique using resistpatterning and a plating method.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 38 , a laminate tape 770 is bonded to thesurface on which the rewiring layer 730 is formed. The laminate tape 770with a thickness of a few hundreds of micrometers, specifically, athickness of, for example, 400 μm to 500 μm is used. The total thicknessof the image sensor main body portion 710 and the substrate 720′ isabout 700 μm to 900 μm. In a case where the laminate tape 770 is bonded,a total work thickness is ensured, which facilitate handling whilemaintaining a work state in the subsequent process. For example, in theprocesses before a dicing process, the holding and transportation of awafer are stabilized, a work distance is constant, and a processvariation is reduced.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 39 , the temporary bonding resin 750 ispeeled off to remove the temporary substrate 760 from the image sensormain body portion 710.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 40 , a transparent resin layer 743 having alower refractive index than the on-chip lens 742 is stacked on the rearsurface 710R of the image sensor main body portion 710, on which theon-chip lenses 742 have been formed, with a thickness that covers theentire uneven shape of the on-chip lenses 742 such that the on-chiplenses 742 are buried over the entire surfaces of the light receivingportion and the peripheral circuit region. Since the transparent resinlayer 743 is formed so as to come into close contact with an unevenportion of a layer below the transparent resin layer 743 such as anuneven portion of the on-chip lens 742, a layer boundary between thetransparent resin layer 743 with a low refractive index and the on-chiplens 742 with a high refractive index is formed between the on-chip lens742 and the transparent resin layer 743. The transparent resin layer 743is formed by, for example, applying a resin material using a spincoating method to form a film and solidifying the film.

Then, the laminate tape 770 is peeled and removed and a work is dividedinto pieces on, for example, a dicing tape to obtain a plurality ofsolid-state imaging elements 700.

(J) Eighth Embodiment:

FIG. 41 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element 800 according to thisembodiment. The configuration of the solid-state imaging element 800 issimilar to the configuration of the solid-state imaging element 700except that a glass substrate 880 is stacked on and bonded to a rearsurface 800R and a redistribution wire 832 provided on a front surface800F is covered by a solder mask 890. Therefore, hereinafter, the shapeof the glass substrate 880 and the solder mask 890 and a method formanufacturing the glass substrate 880 and the solder mask 890 will bemainly described and the detailed description of the otherconfigurations will be omitted. If necessary, components are denoted byreference numerals obtained by changing the first digit “7” of theconfiguration of the solid-state imaging element 700 to “8” and aredescribed.

The glass substrate 880 is bonded to a rear surface 810R of an imagesensor main body portion 810 by a transparent adhesive resin. That is, atransparent adhesive resin layer 843 is interposed between the glasssubstrate 880 and the rear surface 810R of the image sensor main bodyportion 810. The transparent adhesive resin layer 843 is formed withsuch a thickness that an on-chip lens 742 is not exposed from thetransparent adhesive resin layer 843 and color filters or on-chip lensesformed on a light receiving surface are included in the transparentadhesive resin layer 843. In addition, a surface of the transparentadhesive resin layer 843 which is opposite to the on-chip lens 842 issubstantially flat since the glass substrate 880 is closely bonded tothe surface by an adhesive. The transparent adhesive resin layer 843 isfilled so as to cover all of a base portion and a spherical lens of theon-chip lens 842 without any gap therebetween.

A surface of the glass substrate 880 which is opposite to thetransparent adhesive resin layer 843 is thinned by a glass thicknessreducing method and the glass substrate 880 is thinner than a similarglass substrate used for the solid-state imaging element according tothe related art.

The solder mask 890 is formed so as to cover the entire front surface800F of the solid-state imaging element 800 including the rewiring layer830 and is not provided in a portion corresponding to the pad 831 suchthat an opening 891 is formed. That is, the solder mask 890 covers thefront surface 800F of the solid-state imaging element 800 except the pad831. The thickness of the redistribution wire 832 and the pad 831 issimilar to that in the seventh embodiment.

As described above, in the solid-state imaging element 800 according tothis embodiment, the thickness of the rewiring layer 830 on the frontsurface 800F is less than that in the related art and the solder mask890 covers the rewiring layer 830 except the pad 831. In addition, nosolder balls are provided. The transparent adhesive resin layer 843 witha thickness that is equal to about α+the thickness of the color filter841 and the on-chip lens 842 is formed on the rear surface 800R and thethinned glass substrate 880 is stacked on the transparent adhesive resinlayer 843. Further, the thickness of each layer is selected such thatthe thermal expansion of the rewiring layer 830 including the soldermask 890 on the front surface 800F is substantially balanced with thethermal expansion of the transparent adhesive resin layer 843 and theglass substrate 880 on the rear surface 800R. In addition, since nosolder balls are provided, the necessary thickness of the rewiring layer830 is significantly reduced. Therefore, the height of the solid-stateimaging element 800 is less than that in the related art and a structurein which warpage is unlikely to occur even in a case where a thermalprocess is performed is achieved.

FIGS. 42 to 45 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 800. Hereinafter, a process of providing therewiring layer 830 and the transparent adhesive resin layer 843 and thethinned glass substrate 880 which function as protective members on theimage sensor main body portion 810 (see FIG. 34 ), on which similarcolor filter 841 and on-chip lens 842 to those in the seventh embodimenthave been stacked, will be described.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 42 , a transparent adhesive resin 843′ isapplied onto the rear surface 810R of the image sensor main body portion810. The transparent adhesive resin 843′ is applied onto the entire rearsurface 810R including a light receiving portion (a range in which colorfilters, on-chip lenses, and photodiodes are formed) and is applied in athickness direction of the image sensor main body portion 810 so as tobe deposited with a thickness D3 equal to or greater than apredetermined value.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 43 , a glass substrate 880′ is placed on anupper surface of the transparent adhesive resin 843′ and is attached tothe transparent adhesive resin 843′. In this state, the transparentadhesive resin 843′ is cured. In a case where the thickness of thetransparent adhesive resin layer 843 after the transparent adhesiveresin 843′ is cured is D4 and the thickness of the color filter 841 andthe on-chip lens 842 from the upper surface of the image sensor mainbody portion 810 is D0, D0<D3 and D0<D4 are satisfied.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 44 , this embodiment is similar to theseventh embodiment in that the entire image sensor main body portion 810reinforced by the glass substrate 880′ is reversed such that the frontsurface 810F of the image sensor main body portion 810 faces upward,another substrate 820′ is bonded to the front surface 810F, and thethrough electrode 821 and the rewiring layer 830 are formed. The soldermask 890 that covers portions other than the pad 831 is formed on therewiring layer 830 by, for example, a photolithography resistpatterning.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 45 , the front surface of the glasssubstrate 880′ is thinned by a thickness reducing means, such asgrinding, polishing, or etching such that the glass substrate 880 isobtained.

Then, a work is divided into pieces on, for example, a dicing tape toobtain a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 800.

(K) Ninth Embodiment:

FIG. 46 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element 900 according to thisembodiment. The configuration of the solid-state imaging element 900 issimilar to the configuration of the solid-state imaging element 800except that a solder mask 990 covering a front surface 900F and a pad931 exposed from an opening 991 of the solder mask 990 are formed so asto be flush with each other. Therefore, hereinafter, the shape of thepad 931 and a method for manufacturing the pad 931 will be mainlydescribed and the detailed description of the other configurations willbe omitted. If necessary, components are denoted by reference numeralsobtained by changing the first digit “8” of the configuration of thesolid-state imaging element 800 to “9” and are described.

The solder mask 990 is similar to that according to the eighthembodiment in that the solder mask 990 is formed so as to cover theentire front surface 900F of the solid-state imaging element 900including a rewiring layer 930 and a portion corresponding to the pad931 is removed such that an opening 991 is formed. The thickness of therewiring layer 930 is similar to that in the eighth embodiment.

For a glass substrate 980, ae similar thinned glass substrate to that inthe eighth embodiment may be used, a glass substrate that is not thinnedand has a normal thickness may be stacked, or the glass substrate maynot be provided as in the seventh embodiment.

In the solid-state imaging element 900 according to this embodiment, afront surface 990F of the solder mask 990 and a front surface 931F ofthe pad 931 are flush with each other and the front surface 900F of thesolid-state imaging element 900 is flat. That is, the pad 931 is formedso as to be thicker than a redistribution wire 932 and a step portion933 is formed between the redistribution wire 932 and the pad 931 on thefront surface side of the redistribution wire 932 and the pad 931. Thatis, the pad 931 has a base portion 931 a that is formed continuouslywith the redistribution wire 932 and has substantially the samethickness as the redistribution wire 932 and a swelling portion 931 bthat is stacked on the base portion 931 a. Connection to a mountingdestination substrate by, for example, an anisotropic conductive film isfacilitated by this configuration in which a surface close to therewiring layer 930 is planarized.

The solder mask 990 stacked on the rear side of the redistribution wire932 has substantially the same thickness as the step portion 933corresponding to the height of the swelling portion 931 b. The soldermask 990 formed on the front side of another substrate 920 has athickness that is substantially equal to the total thickness of the baseportion 931 a and the swelling portion 931 b of the pad 931. It ispreferable that the height of the step portion 933 is equal to or lessthan 5 μm (except 0).

As described above, in the solid-state imaging element 900 according tothis embodiment, the thickness of the rewiring layer 930 on the rearsurface 900R is less than that in the related art, the solder mask 990covers the rewiring layer 930 except the pad 931, and no solder ballsare provided. A transparent adhesive resin layer 943 with a thicknessthat is equal to about α+the thickness of a color filter 941 and anon-chip lens 942 is formed on the front surface 900F and the thinnedglass substrate 980 is stacked on the transparent adhesive resin layer943.

In addition, the thickness of each layer is selected such that thethermal expansion of the rewiring layer 830 including the solder mask890 on the front surface 800F is substantially balanced with the thermalexpansion of the transparent adhesive resin layer 943 and the glasssubstrate 980 on the rear surface 900R. Therefore, a structure in whichwarpage is unlikely to occur even in a case where a thermal process isperformed is achieved.

Further, since no solder balls are provided, the necessary thickness ofthe rewiring layer 930 is significantly reduced. In addition, in a casewhere the pad 931 and the solder mask 990 are flush with each other, aprocess of wholly grinding the pad 931 and the solder mask 990 toplanarize the pad 931 and the solder mask 990 is performed, which willbe described later. In this case, it is possible to reduce the thicknessof the entire rewiring layer 930 including the solder mask 990.Therefore, the height of the solid-state imaging element 900 can be lessthan that in the related art.

FIGS. 47 to 49 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 900. Hereinafter, a process of providing therewiring layer 930 on the image sensor main body portion 910 (see FIG.34 ) on which the color filter 941 and the on-chip lens 942 have beenstacked will be described. A process of providing a protective member onthe rear surface 910R of the image sensor main body portion 910 isperformed by the same method as that described in the seventh embodimentor the eighth embodiment.

In the formation of the rewiring layer 930 of the solid-state imagingelement 900 according to this embodiment, the glass substrate 980 isfixed to the rear surface of the image sensor main body portion 910 by atransparent adhesive resin 943′. Then, the entire work is reversed suchthat the front surface 910F of the image sensor main body portion 910faces upward. In this state, another substrate 920′ is bonded to thefront surface 910F of the image sensor main body portion 910 and athrough electrode 921 and the rewiring layer 930 are formed. A methodfor forming the through electrode 921 is similar to that in the eighthembodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 47 , the base portion 931 a of the pad 931 andthe redistribution wire 932 of the rewiring layer 930 are formed on afront surface 920′F of the substrate 920′ by, for example, aphotolithography technique using resist patterning and a plating method.In addition, similarly, a swelling portion 931 b′ of the pad 931 isformed on the base portion 931 a by, for example, the photolithographytechnique using resist patterning and the plating method. The height ofthe swelling portion 931 b′ is reduced by grinding in a grinding processwhich will be described later. Therefore, the height of the swellingportion 931 b′ is slightly greater than the height of the swellingportion 931 b of the solid-state imaging element 900.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 48 , a solder mask 990′ covering therewiring layer 930 is formed by, for example, a photolithographytechnique using resist patterning. The solder mask 990′ is formed in arange and with a thickness that covers all of the surfaces of the baseportion 931 a and the swelling portion 931 b′ of the pad 931, theredistribution wire 932, and the exposed substrate 920′.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 49 , the front surface 990′F of the soldermask 990′ is planarized by, for example, a back grinding method or achemical mechanical polishing method. Grinding by the planarization isperformed to the extent that at least a portion of the front surface ofthe swelling portion 931 b′ is ground and a portion of the solder mask990 which is stacked on the redistribution wire 932 remains so as tocover the redistribution wire 932. The swelling portion 931 b′ and thesolder mask 990′ remaining after the planarization are processed so asto be flush with each other to form the swelling portion 931 and thesolder mask 990, respectively.

Then, a work is divided into pieces on, for example, a dicing tape toobtain a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 900.

(L) Tenth Embodiment:

FIG. 50 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element 1000 according to thisembodiment. The configuration of the solid-state imaging element 1000 issimilar to the configuration of the solid-state imaging element 800except that a glass substrate 1080 is stacked on a rear surface 1000Rand a redistribution wire 1032 on a front surface 1000F is not coveredby a solder mask, but is covered by an inorganic insulating film 1090.Therefore, hereinafter, the shape of the inorganic insulating film 1090and a method for manufacturing the inorganic insulating film 1090 willbe mainly described and the detailed description of the otherconfigurations will be omitted. If necessary, components are denoted byreference numerals obtained by changing the first digit “8” of theconfiguration of the solid-state imaging element 800 to “10” and aredescribed.For the glass substrate, similar thinned glass to that in the eighthembodiment may be stacked, a glass substrate that is not thinned and hasa normal thickness may be stacked, or glass may not be provided as inthe seventh embodiment.

The inorganic insulating film 1090 is formed so as to cover the entirefront surface 1000F of the solid-state imaging element 1000 including arewiring layer 1030 and is not provided in a portion corresponding to apad 1031 such that an opening 1091 is formed. That is, the inorganicinsulating film 1090 covers the front surface 1000F of the solid-stateimaging element 1000 except the pad 1031. The thickness of theredistribution wire 1032 is similar to that in the eighth embodiment.The inorganic insulating film 1090 is made of, for example, SiO2, SiN,SiC, SiCN, SiOC, SiOCH, or the like.

As described above, in the solid-state imaging element 1000 according tothis embodiment, the thickness of the rewiring layer 1030 on the rearsurface 1000R is less than that in the related art and the inorganicinsulating film 1090 covers the rewiring layer 1030 except the pad 1031.In addition, no solder balls are provided. A transparent adhesive resinlayer 1043 with a thickness that is equal to about α+the thickness of acolor filter 1041 and an on-chip lens 1042 is formed on the frontsurface 1000F and the glass substrate 1080 is stacked on the transparentadhesive resin layer 1043. In addition, the thickness of each layer isselected such that the thermal expansion of the rewiring layer 1030including the inorganic insulating film 1090 on the front surface 1000Fis substantially balanced with the thermal expansion of the transparentadhesive resin layer 1043 and the glass substrate 1080 on the rearsurface 1000R. Further, since no solder balls are provided, thenecessary thickness of the rewiring layer 1030 is significantly reduced.Therefore, the height of the solid-state imaging element 1000 is lessthan that in the related art and a structure in which warpage isunlikely to occur even in a case where a thermal process is performed isachieved.

FIGS. 51 and 52 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 1000. Hereinafter, a process of stacking theinorganic insulating film 1090 on an image sensor main body portion 1010having a rear surface, on which the transparent adhesive resin layer1043 and the glass substrate 1080 functioning as protective members thatcover the color filter 1041 and the on-chip lens 1042 are stacked, andas illustrated in FIG. 51 , a front surface, on which the rewiring layer1030 is formed, will be described.

An inorganic insulating film 1090′ (not illustrated) is formed on theredistribution wire 1032 by, for example, a CVD method so as to coverthe entire rear surface. Then, a portion of the inorganic insulatingfilm 1090′ which covers the pad 1031 is removed by a photolithographytechnique using resist patterning and dry etching such that the opening1091 is formed. In this way, the inorganic insulating film 1090 havingthe opening 1091 is formed as illustrated in FIG. 52 .

Then, a work is divided into pieces on, for example, a dicing tape toobtain a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 1000.

(M) Eleventh Embodiment:

FIG. 53 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element 1100 according to thisembodiment. The configuration of the solid-state imaging element 1100 issimilar to the configuration of the solid-state imaging element 1000except that a gold layer 1135 is provided as a corrosion prevention filmwhich covers the surface of a metal portion of a rewiring layer 1130,such as a redistribution wire 1132 or a pad 1131. Therefore,hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the gold layer 1135 will bemainly described and the detailed description of the otherconfigurations will be omitted. If necessary, components are denoted byreference numerals obtained by changing the first digit “10” of theconfiguration of the solid-state imaging element 1000 to “11” and aredescribed.

In a case where the corrosion prevention film covering the surface ofthe metal portion of the rewiring layer is provided as in thisembodiment, it is possible to prevent poor connection at the time ofsecondary mounting. The corrosion prevention film is not limited to thegold layer and may be made by using metal having oxidation resistance orchemical resistance. For example, metal, such as alloys containingnickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), cobalt (Co), tantalum (Ta), and gold, may beused.

FIGS. 54 to 56 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 1100. Hereinafter, a process of stacking therewiring layer 1130 including the gold layer 1135 on an image sensormain body portion 1110 (FIG. 54 ) having a rear surface 1110R, on whicha transparent resin layer 1143 and a glass substrate 1180 functioning asprotective members that cover a color filter 1141 and an on-chip lens1142 are stacked, and a front surface 1110F, on which another substrate1120′ is stacked, will be described.

The pad 1131 and the redistribution wire 1132 of the rewiring layer 1130is formed on a front surface 1120′F of another substrate 1120′ by, forexample, a photolithography technique using resist patterning and aplating method as illustrated in FIG. 55 . In addition, similarly, thegold layer 1135 covering the pad 1131 and the redistribution wire 1132is formed on the pad 1131 and the redistribution wire 1132 by, forexample, the photolithography technique using resist patterning and aplating method.

An inorganic insulating film 1190′ (not illustrated) is formed on theredistribution wire 1132 by, for example, a plasma CVD method so as tocover the entire rear surface. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 56 , aportion of the inorganic insulating film 1190′ which covers the pad 1131is removed by a photolithography technique using resist patterning anddry etching such that an opening 1191 is formed. In this way, aninorganic insulating film 1190 having the opening 1191 is formed. Thegold layer 1135 is exposed from the opening 1191.

Then, a work is divided into pieces on, for example, a dicing tape toobtain a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 1100.

(N) Twelfth Embodiment:

FIG. 57 is a diagram schematically illustrating the cross-sectionalconfiguration of a solid-state imaging element 1200 according to thisembodiment. The configuration of the solid-state imaging element 1200 issimilar to the configuration of the solid-state imaging element 900except that a rewiring layer 1230 is not covered by a solder mask, butis covered by an inorganic insulating film 1290. Therefore, hereinafter,a method for manufacturing the rewiring layer 1230 will be mainlydescribed and the detailed description of the other configurations willbe omitted. If necessary, components are denoted by reference numeralsobtained by changing the first digit “9” of the configuration of thesolid-state imaging element 900 to “12” and are described.The inorganic insulating film 1290 is formed so as to cover the entirefront surface 1200F of the solid-state imaging element 1200 includingthe rewiring layer 1230. This embodiment is similar to the tenthembodiment in that a portion of the inorganic insulating film 1290corresponding to the pad 1231 is removed and an opening 1291 is formed.

For a glass substrate 1280, similar thinned glass to that in the eighthembodiment may be stacked, a glass substrate that is not thinned and hasa normal thickness may be stacked, or the glass substrate may not beprovided as in the seventh embodiment.

In the solid-state imaging element 1200 according to this embodiment, afront surface 1290F of the inorganic insulating film 1290 and a frontsurface 1231F of the pad 1231 are flush with each other in the vicinityof the pad 1231 and the front surface 1200F of the solid-state imagingelement 1200 is flat in the vicinity of the pad 1231. That is, the pad1231 is thicker than the redistribution wire 1232 and has a step portion1233 between the redistribution wire 1232 and the pad 1231 on the frontsurface sides of the redistribution wire 1232 and the pad 1231. That is,the pad 1231 has a base portion 1231 a that is formed continuously withthe redistribution wire 1232 and has substantially the same thickness asthe redistribution wire 1232 and a swelling portion 1231 b that isstacked on the base portion 1231 a. Therefore, connection to a mountingdestination substrate by, for example, an anisotropic conductive film isfacilitated by this configuration. The height of the step portion 1233is preferably equal to or less than 5 μm (except 0).

The inorganic insulating film 1290 is stacked as a whole on the frontside of the redistribution wire 1232 so as to cover the redistributionwire 1232 and a front surface 1220′F of another substrate 1220′ with asubstantially constant thickness as a whole.

As described above, in the solid-state imaging element 1200 according tothis embodiment, the thickness of the rewiring layer 1230 on a rearsurface 1200R is less than that in the related art and the inorganicinsulating film 1290 covers the rewiring layer 1230 except the pad 1231.In addition, no solder balls are provided. A transparent adhesive resinlayer 1243 with a thickness that is equal to about α+the thickness of acolor filter 1241 and an on-chip lens 1242 is formed on the frontsurface 1200F and the glass substrate 1280 is stacked on the transparentadhesive resin layer 1243.

In addition, the thickness of each layer is selected such that thethermal expansion of the rewiring layer 1230 including the inorganicinsulating film 1290 on the front surface 1200F is substantiallybalanced with the thermal expansion of the transparent adhesive resinlayer 1243 and the glass substrate 1280 on the rear surface 1200R.Therefore, a structure in which warpage is unlikely to occur even in acase where a thermal process is performed is achieved.

Furthermore, since no solder balls are provided, the necessary thicknessof the pad 1231 is significantly reduced. In addition, in a case wherethe pad 1231 and the inorganic insulating film 1290 are formed so as tobe flush with each other, the overall thickness of the rewiring layer1230 including the inorganic insulating film 1290 can be reduced by aprocess of wholly grinding the pad 1231 and the inorganic insulatingfilm 1290 to planarize the pad 1231 and the inorganic insulating film1290, which will be described later. Therefore, the height of thesolid-state imaging element 1200 can be less than that in the relatedart.

FIGS. 58 to 60 are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing thesolid-state imaging element 1200. Hereinafter, a process of providingthe rewiring layer 1230 on an image sensor main body portion 1210 (seeFIG. 34 ) on which the color filter 1241 and the on-chip lens 1242 havebeen stacked will be described. A process of providing the transparentadhesive resin layer 1243 and the glass substrate 1280 as protectivemembers on a rear surface 1210R of the image sensor main body portion1210 is performed by a similar method to that in the ninth embodiment.

In the formation of the rewiring layer 1230 of the solid-state imagingelement 1200 according to this embodiment, the glass substrate 1280 isfixed to the rear surface of the image sensor main body portion 1210 bya transparent adhesive resin 1243′. Then, the entire work is reversedsuch that the front surface 1210F of the image sensor main body portion1210 faces upward. In this state, another substrate 1220′ is bonded tothe front surface 1210F of the image sensor main body portion 1210 and athrough electrode 1221 and the rewiring layer 1230 are formed. A methodfor forming the through electrode 1221 is similar to that in the eighthembodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 58 , the base portion 1231 a of the pad 1231 andthe redistribution wire 1232 of the rewiring layer 1230 are formed onthe front surface 1220′F of the substrate 1220′ by, for example, aphotolithography technique using resist patterning and a plating methodas in the ninth embodiment.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 59 , an inorganic insulating film 1290′covering the rewiring layer 1230 is formed by, for example, aphotolithography technique using resist patterning. The inorganicinsulating film 1290′ is formed in a range in which it covers all of thesurfaces of the base portion 1231 a and the swelling portion 1231 b′ ofthe pad 1231, the redistribution wire 1232, and the exposed substrate1220′.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 60 , the front surfaces of the swellingportion 1231′ and the inorganic insulating film 1290′ in the vicinity ofthe swelling portion 1231′ are planarized by, for example, a backgrinding method or a chemical mechanical polishing method. Grinding bythe planarization is performed to the extent that at least a portion ofthe front surface of the swelling portion 1231 b′ is ground and aportion of the inorganic insulating film 1290 which is stacked on theredistribution wire 1232 remains so as to cover the redistribution wire1232. The swelling portion 1231 b′ and the inorganic insulating film1290′ remaining after the planarization are processed so as to be flushwith each other to form the swelling portion 1231 b and the inorganicinsulating film 1290, respectively.

Then, a work is divided into pieces on, for example, a dicing tape toobtain a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 1200.

(O) Application Example to In-vivo Information Acquisition System:

The technology (present technology) according to the present disclosurecan be applied to various products. For example, the technologyaccording to the present disclosure may be applied to an endoscopicoperation system.

FIG. 61 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of a patient in-vivo information acquisition system usinga capsule-type endoscope to which the endoscopic (present technology)according to the present disclosure can be applied.

An in-vivo information acquisition system 10001 includes a capsule-typeendoscope 10100 and an external control device 10200.

The patient swallows the capsule-type endoscope 10100 at the time ofexamination. The capsule-type endoscope 10100 has an imaging functionand a wireless communication function, sequentially captures theinternal images of the organs (hereinafter, referred to as in-vivoimages), such as the stomach and the intestines, at predeterminedintervals while peristaltically moving in the organs, for example, andsequentially wirelessly transmits information related to the in-vivoimages to the external control device 10200 outside the body until it isnaturally excreted from the patient.

The external control device 10200 controls the overall operation of thein-vivo information acquisition system 10001. In addition, the externalcontrol device 10200 receives the information related to the in-vivoimage transmitted from the capsule-type endoscope 10100 and generatesimage data for displaying the in-vivo image on a display device (notillustrated) on the basis of the received information related to thein-vivo image.

In the in-vivo information acquisition system 10001, this configurationmakes it possible to obtain an in-vivo image obtained by capturing thein-vivo aspect of the patient at any time until the capsule-typeendoscope 10100 swallowed by the patient is excreted.

The configuration and functions of the capsule-type endoscope 10100 andthe external control device 10200 will be described in detail.

The capsule-type endoscope 10100 includes a capsule-type housing 10101.A light source unit 10111, an imaging unit 10112, an image processingunit 10113, a wireless communication unit 10114, a power feeding unit10115, a power supply unit 10116, and a control unit 10117 areaccommodated in the housing 10101.

The light source unit 10111 is, for example, a light source, such as alight emitting diode (LED), and emits light in the field of view of theimaging unit 10112.

The imaging unit 10112 is an optical system including an imaging elementand a plurality of lenses that are provided in front of the imagingelement. The reflected light (hereinafter, referred to as observationlight) of light emitted to a body tissue which is an observation targetis focused by the optical system and is incident on the imaging element.In the imaging unit 10112, the imaging element performs photoelectricconversion for the incident observation light and an image signalcorresponding to the observation light is generated. The image signalgenerated by the imaging unit 10112 is provided to the image processingunit 10113.

The image processing unit 10113 is a processor, such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), and performsvarious types of signal processing for the image signal generated by theimaging unit 10112. The image processing unit 10113 provides the imagesignal subjected to the signal processing as RAW data to the wirelesscommunication unit 10114.

The wireless communication unit 10114 performs a predetermined process,such as a modulation process, for the image signal subjected to thesignal processing by the image processing unit 10113 and transmits theimage signal to the external control device 10200 through an antenna10114A. In addition, the wireless communication unit 10114 receives acontrol signal related to the control of the driving of the capsule-typeendoscope 10100 from the external control device 10200 through theantenna 10114A. The wireless communication unit 10114 provides thecontrol signal received from the external control device 10200 to thecontrol unit 10117.

The power feeding unit 10115 includes, for example, an antenna coil forreceiving power, a power regeneration circuit that regenerates powerfrom a current generated in the antenna coil, and a booster circuit. Thepower feeding unit 10115 generates power using a so-called non-contactcharging principle.

The power supply unit 10116 is a secondary battery and accumulates powergenerated by the power feeding unit 10115. In FIG. 61 , for example, anarrow indicating the supply destination of power from the power supplyunit 10116 is not illustrated in order to avoid the complication of thedrawings. However, the power accumulated in the power supply unit 10116is supplied to the light source unit 10111, the imaging unit 10112, theimage processing unit 10113, the wireless communication unit 10114, andthe control unit 10117 and can be used to drive these units.

The control unit 10117 is a processor, such as a CPU, and appropriatelycontrols the driving of the light source unit 10111, the imaging unit10112, the image processing unit 10113, the wireless communication unit10114, and the power feeding unit 10115 according to the control signaltransmitted from the external control device 10200.

The external control device 10200 is a processor, such as a CPU or aGPU, a microcomputer which is a mixture of a processor and a storageelement, such as a memory, a control substrate, or the like. Theexternal control device 10200 transmits a control signal to the controlunit 10117 of the capsule-type endoscope 10100 through an antenna 10200Ato control the operation of the capsule-type endoscope 10100. In thecapsule-type endoscope 10100, for example, the light emission conditionsof the light source unit 10111 to an observation target can be changedby a control signal from the external control device 10200. In addition,imaging conditions (for example, the frame rate, exposure value of theimaging unit 10112, and the like) can be changed by a control signalfrom the external control device 10200. Further, the content of theprocess of the image processing unit 10113 or the image signaltransmission conditions (for example, a transmission interval, thenumber of images transmitted, and the like) of the wirelesscommunication unit 10114 may be changed by a control signal from theexternal control device 10200.

In addition, the external control device 10200 performs various types ofimage processing for the image signal transmitted from the capsule-typeendoscope 10100 and generates image data for displaying the capturedin-vivo image on the display device. For example, various types ofsignal processing, such as a development process (demosaicing process),a process of improving image quality (a band enhancement process,super-resolution processing, a noise reduction (NR) process, and/or acamera shake correction process, for example), and/or an enlargementprocess (electronic zoom process) can be performed as the imageprocessing. The external control device 10200 controls the driving ofthe display device such that the captured in-vivo image is displayed onthe basis of the generated image data. Alternatively, the externalcontrol device 10200 may direct a recording device (not illustrated) torecord the generated image data or may direct a printing device (notillustrated) to print out the image data.

An example of the in-vivo information acquisition system to which thetechnology according to the present disclosure can be applied has beendescribed above. The technology according to the present disclosure canbe applied to the imaging unit 10112 among the above-mentionedconfigurations. Specifically, the solid-state imaging elements or theimaging devices in each of the above-described embodiments can beapplied to the imaging unit 10112. In a case where the technologyaccording to the present disclosure is applied to the imaging unit10112, it is possible to reduce the size and height of the capsule-typeendoscope 10100. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce a burden onthe patient.

(P) Application Example to Endoscopic Operation System:

The technology (present technology) according to the present disclosurecan be applied to various products. For example, the technologyaccording to the present disclosure may be applied to an endoscopicoperation system.

FIG. 62 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of the endoscopic operation system to which the technology(present technology) according to the present disclosure can be applied.

FIG. 62 illustrates an aspect in which a surgeon (doctor) 11131 performsan operation on a patient 11132 on a patient bed 11133 using anendoscopic operation system 11000. As illustrated in FIG. 62 , theendoscopic operation system 11000 includes an endoscope 11100, othersurgical tools 11110 such as a pneumoperitoneum tube 11111 and an energytreatment tool 11112, a support arm device 11120 that supports theendoscope 11100, and a cart 11200 that is provided with various devicesfor an endoscopic operation.

The endoscope 11100 includes a lens barrel 11101 in which a region witha predetermined length from the tip is inserted into the body cavity ofthe patient 11132 and a camera head 11102 that is connected to a baseend of the lens barrel 11101. In the example illustrated in FIG. 62 ,the endoscope 11100 configured as a so-called hard mirror having thehard lens barrel 11101 is illustrated. However, the endoscope 11100 maybe configured as a so-called soft mirror having a soft lens barrel.

An opening portion to which an objective lens is fitted is provided atthe tip of the lens barrel 11101. A light source device 11203 isconnected to the endoscope 11100. Light generated by the light sourcedevice 11203 is guided to the tip of the lens barrel by a light guidethat extends in the lens barrel 11101 and is emitted to an observationtarget in the body cavity of the patient 11132 through the objectivelens. In addition, the endoscope 11100 may be a forward-viewingendoscope, an oblique-viewing endoscope, or a side-viewing endoscope.

An optical system and an imaging element are provided in the camera head11102 and light (observation light) reflected from the observationtarget is focused on the imaging element by the optical system. Theimaging element performs photoelectric conversion for the observationlight and generates an electric signal corresponding to the observationlight, that is, an image signal corresponding to an observation image.The image signal is transmitted as RAW data to a camera control unit(CCU) 11201.

The CCU 11201 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or agraphics processing unit (GPU) and controls the overall operation of theendoscope 11100 and a display device 11202. In addition, the CCU 11201receives the image signal from the camera head 11102 and performsvarious types of image processing for displaying an image based on theimage signal, such as a development process (demosaicing process), forexample, for the image signal.

The display device 11202 displays the image based on the image signalsubjected to the image processing by the CCU 11201 under the control ofthe CCU 11201.

The light source device 11203 is a light source, such as a lightemitting diode (LED) and supplies irradiation light used in a casewhere, for example, an image of an operative site or the like iscaptured to the endoscope 11100.

An input device 11204 is an input interface for the endoscopic operationsystem 11000. The user can input various kinds of information orcommands to the endoscopic operation system 11000 through the inputdevice 11204. For example, the user inputs a command to change theimaging conditions (the type of irradiation light, magnification, afocal length, and the like) of the endoscope 11100 and the like.

The treatment tool control device 11205 controls the driving of theenergy treatment tool 11112 for, for example, cauterization or incisionof tissues or the sealing of blood vessels. The pneumoperitoneumapparatus 11206 sends gas into the body cavity of the patient 11132through a pneumoperitoneum tube 11111 in order to expand the body cavityfor the purpose of ensuring the field of view of the endoscope 11100 anda working space of the surgeon. The recorder 11207 is a device that canrecord various kinds of information related to the operation. A printer11208 is a device that can print various kinds of information related tothe operation in various format, such as a text, an image, and a graph.

In addition, the light source device 11203 that supplies irradiationlight used in a case where an image of an operative site is captured tothe endoscope 11100 may be, for example, a white light source formed byan LED, a laser light source, or a combination thereof. In a case whereR, G, and B laser light sources are combined to form the white lightsource, it is possible to control the output intensity and output timingof each color (each wavelength) with high accuracy. Therefore, the lightsource device 11203 can adjust the white balance of a captured image. Inaddition, in this case, it is possible to capture R, G, and B images ina time division manner by irradiating an observation target with laserlight components emitted from the R, G, and B laser light sources in atime division manner and controlling the driving of the imaging elementof the camera head 11102 in synchronization with the irradiation timing.This method can obtain a color image without providing a color filter inthe imaging element.

In addition, the driving of the light source device 11203 may becontrolled such that the intensity of light output from the light sourcedevice 11203 is changed at a predetermined time interval. It is possibleto generate a high-dynamic-range image without so-called black blur andwhite blur by controlling the driving of the imaging element of thecamera head 11102 in synchronization with the change timing of lightintensity to acquire images in a time division manner and combining theimages.

Further, the light source device 11203 may be configured to supply lightin a predetermined wavelength band corresponding to special lightobservation. In the special light observation, for example so-callednarrow band imaging is performed which emits light in a band narrowerthan the band of irradiation light (that is, white light) used at thetime of normal observation to capture the image of a predeterminedtissue, such as a blood vessel in a superficial portion of a mucousmembrane, with high contrast, using the wavelength dependency of lightabsorption in the body tissue. Alternatively, in the special lightobservation, fluorescence observation may be performed which obtains animage using fluorescence that is generated by the emission of excitationlight. In the fluorescence observation, for example the following can beperformed: the body tissue is irradiated with excitation light andfluorescence from the body tissue is observed (self-fluorescenceobservation); or a reagent such as indocyanine green (ICG), is locallyinjected into the body tissue and the body tissue is irradiated withexciting light corresponding to the fluorescent wavelength of thereagent to obtain a fluorescent image. The light source device 11203 canbe configured so as to supply light in a narrow band and/or excitationlight corresponding to the special light observation.

FIG. 63 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of the camera head 11102 and the CCU 11201 illustrated inFIG. 62 .

The camera head 11102 includes a lens unit 11401, an imaging unit 11402,a driving unit 11403, a communication unit 11404, and a camera headcontrol unit 11405. The CCU 11201 includes a communication unit 11411,an image processing unit 11412, and a control unit 11413. The camerahead 11102 and the CCU 11201 are connected by a transmission cable 11400so as to communicate with each other.

The lens unit 11401 is an optical system that is provided in aconnection portion with the lens barrel 11101. The observation lightacquired from the tip of the lens barrel 11101 is guided to the camerahead 11102 and is incident on the lens unit 11401. The lens unit 11401is configured by a combination of a plurality of lenses including a zoomlens and a focusing lens.

The imaging unit 11402 includes an imaging element. One imaging element(single plate type) or a plurality of imaging elements (multi-platetype) may form the imaging unit 11402. In a case where the imaging unit11402 is the multi-plate type, for example, the imaging elements maygenerate R, G, and B image signals and the image signals may be combinedto obtain a color image. Alternatively, the imaging unit 11402 may beconfigured so as to include a pair of imaging elements for acquiringimage signals for the left and right eyes corresponding tothree-dimensional (3D) display. The 3D display makes it possible for thesurgeon 11131 to accuracy check the depth of the body tissue in theoperative site. In addition, in a case where the imaging unit 11402 isthe multi-plate type, a plurality of lens units 11401 corresponding toeach imaging element can be provided.

In addition, the imaging unit 11402 may not be necessarily provided inthe camera head 11102. For example, the imaging unit 11402 may beprovided immediately after the objective lens in the lens barrel 11101.

The driving unit 11403 is an actuator and moves the zoom lens and thefocusing lens of the lens unit 11401 by a predetermined distance alongthe optical axis under the control of the camera head control unit11405. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately adjust themagnification and focus of the image captured by the imaging unit 11402.

The communication unit 11404 is a communication device for transmittingand receiving various kinds of information to and from the CCU 11201.The communication unit 11404 transmits the image signal obtained fromthe imaging unit 11402 as RAW data to the CCU 11201 through thetransmission cable 11400.

In addition, the communication unit 11404 receives a control signal forcontrolling the driving of the camera head 11102 from the CCU 11201 andsupplies the control signal to the camera head control unit 11405. Thecontrol signal includes, for example, information related to imagingconditions, such as information for designating the frame rate of thecaptured image, information for designating an exposure value at thetime of imaging, and/or information for designating the magnificationand focus of the captured image.

Further, the user may appropriately designate the imaging conditions,such as the frame rate, the expose value, the magnification, and thefocus, or the control unit 11413 of the CCU 11201 may automatically setthe imaging conditions on the basis of the acquired image signal. In thelatter case, the endoscope 11100 has a so-called auto exposure (AE)function, a so-called auto focus (AF) function, and a so-called autowhite balance (AWB) function.

The camera head control unit 11405 controls the driving of the camerahead 11102 on the basis of the control signal received from the CCU11201 through the communication unit 11404.

The communication unit 11411 is a communication device for transmittingand receiving various kinds of information to and from the camera head11102. The communication unit 11411 receives the image signaltransmitted from the camera head 11102 through the transmission cable11400.

In addition, the communication unit 11411 transmits a control signal forcontrolling the driving of the camera head 11102 to the camera head11102. The image signal or the control signal can be transmitted by, forexample, electric communication or optical communication.

The image processing unit 11412 performs various types of imageprocessing for the image data which is RAW data transmitted from thecamera head 11102.

The control unit 11413 performs various control processes related to thecapture of the image of, for example, an operative site by the endoscope11100 and the display of the captured image of the operative site or thelike. For example, the control unit 11413 generates a control signal forcontrolling the driving of the camera head 11102.

In addition, the control unit 11413 directs the display device 11202 todisplay the captured image of, for example, the operative site on thebasis of the image signal subjected to the image processing by the imageprocessing unit 11412. At that time, the control unit 11413 mayrecognize various objects in the captured image using various imagerecognition techniques. For example, the control unit 11413 detects theshape, color, and the like of the edge of an object included in thecaptured image to recognize a surgical tool, such as forceps, a specificliving body part, bleeding, mist in a case where the energy treatmenttool 11112 is used, and the like. In a case where the captured image isdisplayed on the display device 11202, the control unit 11413 maydisplay various kinds of operation support information so as to besuperimposed on the image of the operative side, using the recognitionresult. Since the operation support information is displayed so as to besuperimposed and is presented to the surgeon 11131, it is possible toreduce a burden on the surgeon 11131 and the surgeon 11131 can reliablyprogress the operation.

The transmission cable 11400 connecting the camera head 11102 and theCCU 11201 is an electric signal cable corresponding to electric signalcommunication, an optical fiber corresponding to optical communication,or a composite cable of them.

Here, in the example illustrated in FIG. 63 , the transmission cable11400 is used to perform wired communication. However, the camera head11102 and the CCU 11201 may wirelessly communicate with each other.

An example of the endoscopic operation system to which the technologyaccording to the present disclosure can be applied has been describedabove. The technology according to the present disclosure can be appliedto the imaging unit 11402 of the camera head 11102 among theabove-mentioned configurations. Specifically, the solid-state imagingelements or the imaging devices in each of the above-describedembodiments can be applied to the imaging unit 10402. In a case wherethe technology according to the present disclosure is applied to theimaging unit 10402, it is possible to reduce the size and height of thecamera head 11102.

Note that, here, for example, the endoscopic operation system has beendescribed. However, the technology according to the present disclosuremay be applied to, for example, a microscope operation system and thelike.

(Q) Application Example to Moving Body:

The technology (present technology) according to the present disclosurecan be applied to various products. For example, the technologyaccording to the present disclosure may be implemented as a device thatis mounted on any kind of moving body, such as vehicles, electricvehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, personalmobility, airplanes, drones, ships, and robots.

FIG. 64 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the schematicconfiguration of a vehicle control system which is an example of amoving body control system to which the technology according to thepresent disclosure can be applied.

A vehicle control system 12000 includes a plurality of electroniccontrol units that are connected to each other through a communicationnetwork 12001. In the example illustrated in FIG. 64 , the vehiclecontrol system 12000 includes a driving system control unit 12010, abody system control unit 12020, an out-of-vehicle information detectionunit 12030, an in-vehicle information detection unit 12040, and anoverall control unit 12050. In addition, as the functional components ofthe overall control unit 12050, a microcomputer 12051, a sound/imageoutput unit 12052, and an in-vehicle network interface (I/F) 12053 areillustrated.

The driving system control unit 12010 controls the operation of devicesrelated to a driving system of a vehicle on the basis of variousprograms. For example, driving system control unit 12010 functions as acontrol device for a driving force generation device that generates thedriving force of the vehicle, such as the driving force of an internalcombustion engine or a driving motor, a driving force transmissionmechanism that transmits the driving force to wheels, a steeringmechanism that adjusts the steering angle of the vehicle, a brakingdevice that generates the braking force of the vehicle, and the like.

The body system control unit 12020 controls the operation of variousdevices mounted on a vehicle body on the basis of various programs. Forexample, the body system control unit 12020 functions as a controldevice for a keyless entry system, a smart key system, a power windowdevice, or various lamps, such as a head lamp, a back lamp, a brakelamp, an indicator lamp, and a fog lamp. In this case, radio waves thatare transmitted from a portable machine substituting a key or signals ofvarious switches can be inputted to the body system control unit 12020.The body system control unit 12020 receives the input radio waves orsignals and controls, for example, a door lock device, a power windowdevice, and lamps of the vehicle.

The out-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030 detects informationoutside the vehicle provided with the vehicle control system 12000. Forexample, an imaging unit 12031 is connected to the out-of-vehicleinformation detection unit 12030. The out-of-vehicle informationdetection unit 12030 directs the imaging unit 12031 to capture an imageof the outside of the vehicle and receives the captured image. Theout-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030 may perform a process ofdetecting an object, such as a person, a vehicle, an obstacle, a sign,or a character on a road surface, or a distance detection process on thebasis of the received image.

The imaging unit 12031 is an optical sensor that receives light andoutputs an electric signal corresponding to the amount of lightreceived. The imaging unit 12031 can output the electric signal as animage and can also output the electric signal as distance measurementinformation. In addition, the light received by the imaging unit 12031may be visible light or invisible light such as infrared light.

The in-vehicle information detection unit 12040 detects information inthe vehicle. For example, a driver state detection unit 12041 thatdetects the state of a driver is connected to the in-vehicle informationdetection unit 12040. The driver state detection unit 12041 includes,for example, a camera that captures an image of the driver. Thein-vehicle information detection unit 12040 may calculate the degree offatigue or the degree of concentration of the driver or may determinewhether or not the driver is dozing, on the basis of detectioninformation input from the driver state detection unit 12041.

The microcomputer 12051 calculates control target values of the drivingforce generation device, the steering mechanism, or the braking deviceon the basis of information inside and outside the vehicle acquired bythe out-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030 or the in-vehicleinformation detection unit 12040 and outputs a control command to thedriving system control unit 12010. For example, the microcomputer 12051can perform cooperative control for implementing an advanced driverassistance system (ADAS) function including vehicle collision avoidance,vehicle impact relaxation, follow-up traveling, vehicle speedmaintenance traveling, and vehicle collision warning based on avehicle-to-vehicle distance, lane departure warning or the like.

In addition, the microcomputer 12051 controls, for example, the drivingforce generation device, the steering mechanism, or the braking deviceon the basis of information around the vehicle acquired by theout-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030 or the in-vehicleinformation detection unit 12040 to perform cooperative control forimplementing, for example, automatic driving that allows the vehicle totravel autonomously without depending on the operation of the driver.

In addition, the microcomputer 12051 can output a control command to thebody system control unit 12020 on the basis of information outside thevehicle acquired by the out-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030.For example, the microcomputer 12051 can perform cooperative control toperform a glare prevention process, such as a process of controlling aheadlamp according to the position of a vehicle in front or an oncomingvehicle detected by the out-of-vehicle information detection unit 12030such that a high beam is switched to a low beam.

The sound/image output unit 12052 transmits at least one of a soundoutput signal or an image output signal to an output device that canvisually or audibly notify information to passengers in the vehicle orthe outside of the vehicle. In the example illustrated in FIG. 64 ,examples of the output device include an audio speaker 12061, a displayunit 12062, and an instrument panel 12063. The display unit 12062 mayinclude, for example, at least one of a pointing device or a head-updisplay.

FIG. 65 is a diagram illustrating an example of the installationposition of the imaging unit 12031.

In FIG. 65 , a vehicle 12100 includes imaging units 12101, 12102, 12103,12104, and 12105 as the imaging unit 12031.

For example, the imaging units 12101, 12102, 12103, 12104, and 12105 areprovided at positions, such as a front nose, a side mirror, a rearbumper, a back door, and an upper part of a front glass in a vehiclecabin of the vehicle 12100. The imaging unit 12101 provided in the frontnose and the imaging unit 12105 provided in the upper part of the frontglass in the vehicle cabin mainly acquire images in front of the vehicle12100. The imaging units 12102 and 12103 provided in the side mirrorsmainly acquire images on the sides of the vehicle 12100. The imagingunit 12104 provided in the rear bumper or the back door mainly acquiresimages behind the vehicle 12100. The images in front of the vehicleacquired by the imaging units 12101 and 12105 are mainly used to detect,for example, vehicles in front, pedestrians, obstacles, traffic signals,traffic signs, or lanes.

In addition, FIG. 65 illustrates an example of the imaging range of theimaging units 12101 to 12104. An imaging range 12111 indicates theimaging range of the imaging unit 12101 provided in the front nose.Imaging ranges 12112 and 12113 indicates the imaging ranges of theimaging units 12102 and 12103 provided in the side mirrors,respectively. An imaging range 12114 indicates the imaging range of theimaging unit 12104 provided in the rear bumper or the back door. Forexample, image data items captured by the imaging units 12101 to 12104are superimposed to obtain a bird's-eye view image of the vehicle 12100viewed from the upper side.

At least one of the imaging units 12101 to 12104 may have a function ofacquiring distance information. For example, at least one of the imagingunits 12101 to 12104 may be a stereo camera including a plurality ofimaging elements or may be an imaging element having a pixel fordetecting a phase difference.

For example, the microcomputer 12051 calculates a distance to eachthree-dimensional object in the imaging ranges 12111 to 12114 and achange in the distance over time (a relative speed with respect to thevehicle 12100) on the basis of distance information obtained from theimaging units 12101 to 12104 to extract, as a vehicle in front, athree-dimensional object that is closest to the vehicle 12100 on atravel path of the vehicle 12100 and particularly travels at apredetermined speed (for example, 0 km/h or more) substantially in thesame direction as the vehicle 12100. In addition, the microcomputer12051 can set a distance to the vehicle in front which is to be ensuredin advance and can perform, for example, automatic brake control(including follow-up stop control) and automatic acceleration control(including follow-up start control). As such, it is possible to performcooperative control for implementing, for example, automatic drivingthat allows the vehicle to travel autonomously without depending on theoperation of the driver.

For example, the microcomputer 12051 can classify three-dimensionalobject data related to three-dimensional objects into otherthree-dimensional objects, such as a two-wheel vehicle, an ordinaryvehicle, a large vehicle, a pedestrian, and an electric pole on thebasis of the distance information obtained from the imaging units 12101to 12104, extract the three-dimensional object data, and use thethree-dimensional object data for automatic obstacle avoidance. Forexample, the microcomputer 12051 classifies obstacles in the vicinity ofthe vehicle 12100 into obstacles that are visible by the driver of thevehicle 12100 and obstacles that are hardly visible. Then, themicrocomputer 12051 determines a collision risk indicating the degree ofrisk of collision with each obstacle. In a case where the collision riskis equal to or greater than a set value, the microcomputer 12051 outputsa warning to the driver through the audio speaker 12061 or the displayunit 12062 or performs forced deceleration or avoidance steering throughthe driving system control unit 12010 to perform drive assistance forcollision avoidance.

At least one of the imaging units 12101 to 12104 may be an infraredcamera that detects infrared light. For example, the microcomputer 12051determines whether or not a pedestrian is present in the images capturedby the imaging units 12101 to 12104 to recognize the pedestrian. Forexample, the recognition of the pedestrian is performed by a process ofextracting feature points in the images captured by the imaging units12101 to 12104 as the infrared cameras and a process of performing apattern matching process for a series of feature points indicating thecontour of an object to determine whether or not the pedestrian ispresent. In a case where the microcomputer 12051 determines that apedestrian is present in the images captured by the imaging units 12101to 12104 and recognizes the pedestrian, the sound/image output unit12052 controls the display unit 12062 such that a square outline foremphasis is superimposed on the recognized pedestrian and is thendisplayed. In addition, the sound/image output unit 12052 may controlthe display unit 12062 such that, for example, an icon indicating thepedestrian is displayed at a desired position.

An example of the vehicle control system to which the technologyaccording to the present disclosure can be applied has been described.The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to theimaging unit 12031 among the above-mentioned configurations.Specifically, the solid-state imaging elements or the imaging devices ineach of the above-described embodiments can be applied to the imagingunit 12031. In a case where the technology according to the presentdisclosure is applied to the imaging unit 12031, it is possible toreduce the size and height of the imaging unit 12031.

Note that the present technology is not limited to the above-describedembodiments and also includes configurations obtained by replacing theconfigurations disclosed in each of the above-described embodiments orchanging combinations of the configurations and configurations obtainedby replacing the configurations disclosed in each of the above-describedembodiments and the related art or changing combinations of theconfigurations, for example. In addition, the technical scope of thepresent technology is not limited to the above-described embodiments andincludes the matters described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

The present technology can have the following configurations.

(1-1) A solid-state imaging element includes: a semiconductor substratein which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are providedin parallel along a light receiving surface; a color filter that isstacked on the light receiving surface; an on-chip lens that is stackedon the color filter; a resin layer that is made by using a materialhaving a lower refractive index than the on-chip lens and is stacked onthe on-chip lens such that a front surface is flat; and an inorganicmaterial layer that is formed with a substantially constant thickness onthe resin layer. A plate-shaped translucent member is not mounted andfixed to the inorganic material layer by an adhesive.

(1-2) In the solid-state imaging element according to (1-1), theinorganic material layer includes silicon oxide (SiO) or siliconoxynitride (SiON).

(1-3) In the solid-state imaging element according to (1-1) or (1-2),the inorganic material layer is an antireflection film obtained bystacking an oxide other than a silicon (Si)-based oxide and the silicon(Si)-based oxide.

(1-4) In the solid-state imaging element according to (1-1), an IR cutfilm is formed as the inorganic material layer.

(1-5) In the solid-state imaging element according to (1-1), adiffraction grating is formed as the inorganic material layer.

(1-6) In the solid-state imaging element according to any one of (1-1)to (1-5), a wiring layer and a rewiring layer are formed on a frontsurface side of the semiconductor substrate through a support substrateand a through silicon via (TSV) is formed so as to pass through thesupport substrate from a front surface to a rear surface.

(1-7) A method for manufacturing a solid-state imaging element includes:a step of stacking a color filter and an on-chip lens on an imagingelement region of a first surface of a semiconductor substrate; a stepof forming a coating film having a first refractive index on the on-chiplens such that a front surface is flat; a step of stacking an inorganicmaterial layer on the coating film so as to be substantially flat; astep of bonding a support substrate to a front surface of the inorganicmaterial layer and reversing the semiconductor substrate having thesupport substrate bonded thereto; a step of forming a rewiring layer ona second surface that is opposite to the first surface of thesemiconductor substrate in a state in which the support substrate isbonded; a step of forming a through electrode that passes through therewiring layer and the semiconductor substrate in a region outside theimaging element region; and a step of peeling off the support substratefrom the inorganic material layer.

(1-8) There is provided an imaging device including a solid-stateimaging element and a signal processing circuit that processes a signalfrom the solid-state imaging element. The solid-state imaging elementincludes: a semiconductor substrate in which a plurality ofphotoelectric conversion elements are provided in parallel along a lightreceiving surface; a color filter that is stacked on the light receivingsurface; an on-chip lens that is stacked on the color filter; a resinlayer that includes a material having a lower refractive index than theon-chip lens and is stacked on the on-chip lens such that a frontsurface is flat; and an inorganic material layer that is formed with asubstantially constant thickness on the resin layer. A plate-shapedtranslucent member is not mounted and fixed to the inorganic materiallayer by an adhesive.

(2-1)

A solid-state imaging element that is a wafer-level chip size package,including:

an optical sensor chip;

a protective layer that is stacked on a light receiving surface of theoptical sensor chip; and

a rewiring layer that is stacked on a surface opposite to the lightreceiving surface of the optical sensor chip,

in which a connection terminal of the rewiring layer is a copper flatpad without a solder ball,

an alloy layer of tin and copper is not formed on a front surface of theflat pad, and

a thermal expansion coefficient of the protective layer is substantiallybalanced with a thermal expansion coefficient of the rewiring layer.

(2-2)

The solid-state imaging element according to (2-1),

in which the protective layer is a transparent resin layer that isformed with a sufficient thickness to cover a color filter or an on-chiplens formed on the light receiving surface and is solidified, and

a glass substrate is not stacked on the transparent adhesive resinlayer.

(2-3)

The solid-state imaging element according to (2-1),

in which the protective layer includes a transparent adhesive resinlayer made by using a transparent adhesive resin that is applied with asufficient thickness to cover a color filter or an on-chip lens formedon the light receiving surface and a glass substrate which is stacked onand bonded to the transparent adhesive resin layer and is thinned by athickness reduction means from a front surface.

(2-4)

The solid-state imaging element according to any one of (2-1) to (2-3),

in which the rewiring layer includes a redistribution wire, a soldermask that covers the redistribution wire, and a flat pad that isconnected to the redistribution wire and is exposed from the soldermask, and

a front surface of the solder mask is flush with a surface of the flatpad.

(2-5)

The solid-state imaging element according to any one of (2-1) to (2-3),

in which the rewiring layer includes a redistribution wire, an inorganicinsulating film that covers the redistribution wire, and a flat pad thatis connected to the redistribution wire and is exposed from theinorganic insulating film.

(2-6)

The solid-state imaging element according to (2-5),

in which a front surface of the inorganic insulating film is flush witha surface of the flat pad.

(2-7)

The solid-state imaging element according to any one of (2-1) to (2-6),

in which a surface of the flat pad is covered with a corrosionprevention film.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   10, 20, 30, 40, 40′, 50, 50′, 60, 60′, 200 Solid-state imaging        element    -   11A, 201A On-chip lens    -   11A1 Base portion    -   11A2 Spherical lens    -   11B, 201B Color filter    -   12, 201 Semiconductor substrate    -   12F Front surface    -   12R Rear surface    -   13 Through electrode    -   13A End portion    -   14, 203 Rewiring layer    -   14A Redistribution wire    -   14B Solder resist    -   14C Land    -   14D Solder ball    -   15 Resin layer    -   16 Inorganic material layer    -   17 Support substrate    -   17F Front surface    -   17R Rear surface    -   18 Wiring layer    -   19 Input/output pad    -   21, 31 Plurality of inorganic material layers    -   21A TaO layer    -   21B SiO₂ layer    -   21C TaO layer    -   21D SiO layer    -   31A NbO layer    -   31B SiO layer    -   41 IR cut film    -   51, 61 Transparent resin film    -   62 Light shielding film    -   101 Adhesive layer    -   102 Temporary substrate    -   103 DG frame    -   202 LIB resin    -   204 Cover glass    -   210 Lens module    -   220 Adhesive    -   230 Support substrate    -   500 Module    -   530 Optical system    -   540 Solid-state imaging element    -   600 Imaging device    -   610 Camera signal control unit    -   620 Image processing unit    -   630 Display unit    -   640 Reader/writer    -   650 Arithmetic processing unit    -   660 Operation input unit    -   670 Lens driving control unit    -   121 Pixel unit    -   122 Vertical driving unit    -   123 Analog-to-digital conversion unit    -   123 AD conversion unit    -   123 a Comparator    -   123 b Counter    -   123 c Latch    -   124 Reference signal generation unit    -   125 Horizontal driving unit    -   126 Timing control unit    -   127 Signal control unit    -   FD Floating diffusion    -   HSLn Pixel driving line    -   Lrst Signal line    -   Lsel Signal line    -   Ltrf Horizontal signal line    -   Ltrg Signal line    -   PD Photodiode    -   PXL Pixel    -   R1 Imaging element region    -   R2 Peripheral circuit region    -   T1 Input terminal    -   T2 Input terminal    -   T3 Output terminal    -   TR1 Transfer transistor    -   TR2 Reset transistor    -   TR3 Amplifying transistor    -   TR4 Select transistor    -   VSL Vertical signal line    -   VSLm Vertical signal line    -   700 Solid-state imaging element    -   700F Front surface    -   700R Rear surface    -   710 Image sensor main body portion    -   710F Front surface    -   710R Rear surface    -   711 Pad    -   720 Another substrate    -   720′ Another substrate    -   720′F Front surface    -   721 Through electrode    -   730 Rewiring layer    -   731 Pad    -   732 Redistribution wire    -   741 Color filter    -   742 On-chip lens    -   743 Transparent resin layer    -   750 Temporary bonding resin    -   760 Temporary substrate    -   770 Laminate tape    -   800 Solid-state imaging element    -   800F Front surface    -   800R Rear surface    -   810 Image sensor main body portion    -   810F Front surface    -   810R Rear surface    -   820′ Another substrate    -   821 Through electrode    -   830 Rewiring layer    -   831 Pad    -   832 Redistribution wire    -   841 Color filter    -   842 On-chip lens    -   843 Transparent adhesive resin layer    -   843′ Transparent adhesive resin    -   880 Glass substrate    -   880′ Glass substrate    -   890 Solder mask    -   891 Opening    -   900 Solid-state imaging element    -   900F Front surface    -   900R Rear surface    -   910 Image sensor main body portion    -   910F Front surface    -   910R Rear surface    -   920 Another substrate    -   920′ Another substrate    -   920′F Front surface    -   921 Through electrode    -   930 Rewiring layer    -   931 Pad    -   931F Front surface    -   931 a Base portion    -   931 b Swelling portion    -   931 b′ Swelling portion    -   932 Redistribution wire    -   941 Color filter    -   942 On-chip lens    -   943 Transparent adhesive resin layer    -   943′ Transparent adhesive resin    -   980 Glass substrate    -   990 Solder mask    -   990′ Solder mask    -   990F Front surface    -   990′F Front surface    -   991 Opening    -   1000 Solid-state imaging element    -   1000F Front surface    -   1000R Rear surface    -   1010 Image sensor main body portion    -   1030 Rewiring layer    -   1031 Pad    -   1032 Redistribution wire    -   1041 Color filter    -   1042 On-chip lens    -   1043 Transparent adhesive resin layer    -   1080 Glass substrate    -   1090 Inorganic insulating film    -   1090′ Inorganic insulating film    -   1091 Opening    -   1100 Solid-state imaging element    -   1110 Image sensor main body portion    -   1110F Front surface    -   1110R Rear surface    -   1120′ Another substrate    -   1120′F Front surface    -   1130 Rewiring layer    -   1131 Pad    -   1132 Redistribution wire    -   1135 Gold layer    -   1141 Color filter    -   1142 On-chip lens    -   1143 Transparent resin layer    -   1180 Glass substrate    -   1190 Inorganic insulating film    -   1190′ Inorganic insulating film    -   1191 Opening    -   1200 Solid-state imaging element    -   1200F Front surface    -   1200R Rear surface    -   1210 Image sensor main body portion    -   1210F Front surface    -   1210R Rear surface    -   1220′ Another substrate    -   1220′F Front surface    -   1221 Through electrode    -   1230 Rewiring layer    -   1231 Pad    -   1231′ Swelling portion    -   1231F Front surface    -   1231 a Base portion    -   1231 b Swelling portion    -   1231 b′ Swelling portion    -   1232 Redistribution wire    -   1241 Color filter    -   1242 On-chip lens    -   1243 Transparent adhesive resin layer    -   1243′ Transparent adhesive resin    -   1280 Glass substrate    -   1290 Inorganic insulating film    -   1290′ Inorganic insulating film    -   1290F Front surface    -   1291 Opening

What is claimed is:
 1. A solid-state imaging element, comprising: anoptical sensor chip; a color filter; an on-chip lens, wherein the colorfilter and the on-chip lens are on a light receiving surface of theoptical sensor chip; a protective layer on the light receiving surfaceof the optical sensor chip, wherein the protective layer is atransparent resin layer that covers the color filter and the on-chiplens, and a glass substrate is absent on the transparent resin layer;and a rewiring layer on a surface opposite to the light receivingsurface of the optical sensor chip, wherein a solder ball is above aflat portion of the rewiring layer.
 2. The solid-state imaging elementaccording to claim 1, further comprising the glass substrate, whereinthe color filter and the on-chip lens are on the light receiving surfaceof the optical sensor chip, the glass substrate is on the transparentresin layer and bonded to the transparent resin layer, and the glasssubstrate is thinned from a front surface of the glass substrate by athickness reduction method.
 3. The solid-state imaging element accordingto claim 1, wherein the rewiring layer includes a redistribution wire, asolder mask, and the flat portion, the solder mask covers theredistribution wire, the flat portion is connected to the redistributionwire, and the flat portion is exposed from the solder mask.
 4. Thesolid-state imaging element according to claim 1, wherein the rewiringlayer includes a redistribution wire, an inorganic insulating film, andthe flat portion, the inorganic insulating film covers theredistribution wire, the flat portion is connected to the redistributionwire, and the flat portion is exposed from the inorganic insulatingfilm.
 5. The solid-state imaging element according to claim 4, wherein afront surface of the inorganic insulating film is flush with a frontsurface of the flat portion.
 6. The solid-state imaging elementaccording to claim 1, further comprising a corrosion prevention filmthat covers a front surface of the flat portion.
 7. An imaging device,comprising: a solid-state imaging element that is a wafer-level chipsize package; and a signal processing circuit configured to process asignal from the solid-state imaging element, wherein the solid-stateimaging element includes: an optical sensor chip; a color filter; anon-chip lens, wherein the color filter and the on-chip lens are on alight receiving surface of the optical sensor chip; a protective layeron the light receiving surface of the optical sensor chip, wherein theprotective layer is a transparent resin layer that covers the colorfilter and the on-chip lens, and a glass substrate is absent on thetransparent resin layer; and a rewiring layer on a surface opposite tothe light receiving surface of the optical sensor chip, wherein a solderball is above a flat portion of the rewiring layer.